Sydrian One Shots
by spaztronaut
Summary: A collection of Sydrian one shots. There will be fluff, angst, drama, kissing. Whatever ideas I have. And, if you want, send in a prompt and I might use it!
1. Blue Flame

**Hey guys! I know, I know. Why am I writing a one-shot instead of updating Of Magic and Misery? I'm working on that and it should be updated by tomorrow night. I felt bad that it was taking so long, so I decided to post a scene that was based off of an idea I had for OMM but just wasn't going to happen. Instead I took it, reworked it, and turned it into a one shot. Review and let me know what you think. Also, if anyone has an idea or prompt they'd like to see written send it to me. I think this is a fun way to break writer's block!**

***This scene takes place during a trip to Court for Sonya's wedding. Sydney and Adrian are still not speaking at this point because of the fallout from the kiss.***

The Alchemists had decided that since I was being requested at Court for Sonya's wedding, they should send a second alchemist as back up. Or, as Ian had said at the airport when I'd picked him up, "to keep you company in the lion's den."

He didn't realize how little I needed or wanted the company of another alchemist right now. It was a nice gesture on their part, but the Alchemists were the only ones I was afraid of, not the Moroi at Court. Ian's presence was only going to wreck havoc on my nerves. I couldn't even talk to any of my friends with him around. Even when he wasn't in the room, I was always afraid he'd walk in or find out somehow. And he'd only been here for a few hours!

My only saving grace was that Adrian wasn't here yet. I could only imagine how he'd treat Ian, or me, once he got back. He'd gone off on his own right after we'd arrived at the palace this afternoon. I wondered what he was doing—_and who he's doing it with_, my brain had kindly supplied—but knew it wasn't any of my business.

Our relationship had been strained ever since that day in his apartment. The day he'd kissed me. I'd freaked out and run away and Adrian had gone into a depression. It wasn't as bad as after Rose left him, but, let's just say, he wasn't handling it very well.

We hadn't talked in over a month, aside from me saying hello and him nodding in my general direction. It was a far cry from the way our relationship had been pre-kiss. If I was being honest with myself, it crushed me, but I usually tried to push those thoughts aside and act as professional as possible around him.

Even though I sometimes got the feeling that my professional act just made his mood worse.

I was worried about him running around Court, getting right back into his old habits, but I couldn't focus much on it. Not now. Not with Ian right here.

"I hate that we have to eat with them. I'd rather go get fast food or something," he said as we headed out of the secluded hallway that led to our guest rooms and toward the dining room. Lissa, the Queen and Rose's best friend, had, at Ian's request, had two rooms in the south wing put together for our use. The south wing was the furthest from the rest of the gang's rooms and no one else was staying there. We were essentially alone on that side of the palace.

I hated separating myself from Jill and the others, especially at Court. Jill had been attacked the last time she was here, she had died, until Adrian had saved her life with spirit magic. What if someone attacked again and I wasn't there to help her? I could use magic, too, and had been practicing with it almost non-stop recently. I could help her in an attack just as much as Eddie or Angeline or Adrian. I should be with her.

But I couldn't ask to change my room to their wing. I couldn't even talk to Jill without making Ian suspicious. And he followed me around like a lost puppy, constantly at my heels.

"It'll be fine," I said distractedly, still worrying about how dinner was going to work. Ian didn't seem like he'd want to sit down to dinner next to a vampire, even ones as nice as Jill and the others. "But you need to calm down and not show your fear or dislike of them. It's rude and they are being courteous to us, after all."

To my surprise, when we entered the dining room, everyone was already there. I did a quick scan of the faces at the table. Jill, Eddie, Angeline, Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, Christian, Sonya, Mikhail. No Adrian. My heart dropped when I realized he wasn't going to come back for dinner—for the group dinner he'd promised Jill he'd attend—but I put on a cheery smile and said hello to everyone.

Ian nodded politely next to me.

"Hey, Sydney," Rose greeted kindly. "Ian. Come sit down, we were just talking about how the florist messed up Sonya's bouquets." She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

"It was a major problem," Sonya laughed. "Just wait until you get married."

"Oh, no! Don't go giving him any ideas," Rose said, pointing to Dimitri. "Not until I'm at least in my twenties."

I had already begun walking over to the empty seat on the other side of Mikhail, but Ian grabbed my hand.

"Let's sit over here," he whispered, dragging me down to the other end of the table. It was a long dining table and now there were more than a couple empty spaces in between us and the rest of the party.

Sitting down here I would barely be able to hear anyone's conversation. But what could I say? Ian pulled out my seat for me and I sat, miserably.

Sonya gave me a disappointed look and I felt incredibly rude. I opened my mouth, about to make that point to Ian when I noticed his eyes were wide. I looked behind me and sure enough a tall Moroi man with unbelievably green eyes loomed over me.

"Can I speak to you for a second," the man gritted out between clenched teeth. It wasn't a question.

I stood, dreading whatever conversation Adrian and I were about to have, but happy that he was back. And even happier that he didn't smell of alcohol or smoke... or girls.

To my horror, Ian began to get up as well.

"No, Ian," I said, trying to sound authoritative and professional. "It's okay. Enjoy your meal, I'll take care of this."

Ian looked like he wanted to argue, but Adrian gave him a look that would have scared a trained guardian. He nodded stiffly and sat back in his chair.

When I looked up everyone was staring at us. Embarrassed, I turned around and walked across the room and into the hall, trying to maintain a normal speed, when really I just wanted to bolt.

Once we were in the hall I looked at Adrian. "What's going on?" I asked. "What do you need?"

Adrian scoffed. "What do I need?" he asked, nastily. "What I need is to know why the hell that guy is in there sitting with you."

I sighed. "The Alchemists sent him," I explained. "He's supposed to be my _backup_."

"I'm sure he is," Adrian said. His mouth seemed set in a permanent scowl. "What a waste of my night," he grumbled, turning to leave. He wasn't even headed back to the dining hall, he was going in the other direction. Leaving me.

"What's a waste?" I demanded, grabbing his elbow before he could go.

He turned back and shook his head, like he wasn't going to answer, but then his eyes drifted to where my fingers still clutched his arm. I let go and took a step back, causing him to sigh.

"I know this guy..." he said, then stopped and looked me in the eyes. He took a deep breath. "Look, I know I've been a moody, asshole to you, Sage, and you didn't deserve it. I... When I found out we were attending Sonya's wedding here at Court I remembered I knew this guy, Andre. He..." Adrian looked down at the ground. "He collects classic cars."

He looked back up at me, searching my face, but all I could do was stare back, confused. What did Andre and his cars have to do with Adrian's wasted night?

"I thought," Adrian started, then he looked down again. "I don't know, it's stupid. I thought maybe I could make up for being a jerk by borrowing one of his cars. I thought maybe you'd like to go for a ride or something after dinner. As friends."

I just blinked at him. He'd borrowed a car to take me out?

"It was a stupid idea," he said, turning away from me again. It was only then that I realized I hadn't said anything, just looked at him strangely.

"What kind of car?" I asked quickly, grabbing his elbow again. I could hear the excitement in my own voice.

He glanced at me over is shoulder. "Corvette," he said. "1954. Red."

I sucked in a breath and he smiled a little.

"Thought you'd like that," he said smugly. And he had every right. A 1954 Chevrolet Corvette in red?

"That's the first year the Powerglide 235 engine became standard." I glanced down the hall toward the front entrance of the palace. "It's out there right now?"

"Yeah." He kept smiling, but it dimmed a little. "I could give you the keys, if you want. That way you could take Ewan with you." He gestured back to the dining room.

"You mean Ian?" I asked, confused. "Why would I want to take Ian with me?"

"I don't know," Adrian said, turning back to face me. "You seemed awfully cozy with him in there. Holding hands," he spit the words like an accusation. "Figured you'd rather hang with him tonight, since you seem to be back to the old us vs. them Alchemist mentality."

His tone was so bitter it caused me to frown. He had, admittedly, been moody and a jerk to me for the past month. He'd wanted nothing to do with me. What gave him the right to make a rash judgement about me and Ian?

"I don't want to go anywhere with Ian," I stated, angrily. "I didn't want to sit at the end of the table, away from everyone I know. I don't want to stay in the room next to him on the other side of the palace from you and Jill. I don't want him here at all. I have no choice. And I certainly wasn't holding his hand!"

Adrian's expression faltered and then he frowned. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh!" I lowered my voice, trying not to yell at him. How dare he make assumptions like that? Did he really think I could just change my mind so quickly? "I can't talk to anyone while he's around. Rose tried to ask me about Palm Springs and I could barely answer her. The Alchemists would freak out if they knew I was friends with you guys. I'm supposed to _want_ to sit at the end of the table and sleep as far from you as physically possible. I'm supposed to be _scared_ of you!" I took a deep breath and exhaled it out in one long, weary huff. "But I'm not. You know that. And I'm terrified he's going to find out."

Adrian looked properly chastened. He reached out and touched his fingers to mine, not quite holding my hand. I should have pulled back, but I couldn't quite find the strength to do so.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I thought..."

Finally, I managed to pull my hand away. "You thought what? That I could abandon my friends that easily? That I would do something like that?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Or... Well, yeah, maybe. It just seemed like the easier course of action, you know? After..." he looked away again, "everything."

"I couldn't go back to that course of action if I wanted to," I sighed, thinking about everything I'd learned from Ms. Terwilliger. Going back to the Alchemists would probably be akin to suicide.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I looked back over my shoulder, toward the dining room. "I'll tell you later, okay?"

Adrian nodded. "Do you want to go back in?" he asked pointing to the door behind us.

"No," I answered, leaning against the wall. "Not really. Ian's been following me everywhere. He's kind of annoying. If he's so afraid of Moroi than he shouldn't have volunteered for the assignment."

Adrian laughed a little. "Fear of vampires isn't the reason that guy's been following you, Sage."

"What do you mean?"

Adrian face softened, but there was still a hard edge to it, like something was bothering him. "He's got a crush on you."

I blinked in surprise. "Ian? No. No way. Besides, you only saw him for, like, half a second. How could you have noticed he had a crush on me that quickly?"

"It's true," Adrian said. He even crossed his heart. "I noticed it the first time I saw him. When you were being interrogated by the guardians after helping Rose."

I'd forgotten Adrian had seen Ian then. And he was good at figuring people out and he never forgot a face, so he probably wasn't mistaken.

"Why would he have a crush on me?" I asked, baffled. "I don't even really know him that well."

"It doesn't take long to fall for a beautiful, intelligent woman, Sage," Adrian said. He was smiling, but his eyes were serious and something in my chest fluttered in response. "Trust me."

I let my head fall back against the wall, feeling... I didn't know. Feeling a lot of things. Shock that Ian liked me, anger still about Adrian's accusations, excitement that Adrian and I were talking again. Butterflies seemed to be trying to take flight in my stomach at the way he was looking at me.

"So," Adrian said. "If you don't want to go back in, you're still going to need to eat something..." He pulled a set of keys from his pocket. "And I do have a ride."

I started to say, "Yes. Yes, definitely!" but then a thought occurred to me. "I can't," I said instead. "How could I cover up going on a joy ride with you? Ian would find out and tell the Alchemists. And if he does have a crush on me, he'll be paying extra close attention."

"Just leave it to me, Sage," Adrian smirked. "Give me your phone. You have his cell number?"

I told him I did and pulled the phone from my pocket, handing it over to Adrian who pulled up my contacts list and then started typing. When he was done he handed it back to me. It was still open to my messages and I read the text he'd just sent Ian.

_Ivashkov is causing a fuss. I need to go take care of it. Be back later, don't worry :)_

"Adrian, I don't use smiley faces," I said. But, really, the text was a smart idea and would probably get Ian off of my back for a while.

He smiled at me. "The crush, remember? He'll think it's flirting. And he isn't going to turn in the girl he likes to his superiors if he thinks he might stand a chance with her." He seemed to think of something suddenly. "He doesn't stand a chance with you does he?"

I couldn't help it, I laughed out loud. At the absurdity of Adrian's obvious jealousy, at my relief that he was okay, that _we_ were okay. "No," I told Adrian, still laughing. "No chance. Not when..."

I trailed off, fighting a blush.

"Not when what?" Adrian asked slyly.

I lifted my chin and looked him right in those impossibly green eyes. "Not when there's a 1954 Corvette waiting outside for me."

Adrian laughed and led me outside.

The car was gorgeous. Cherry red, chrome trim. The white convertible top was down, showing off the sweet red interior. I loved Adrian's Mustang, I really did, but this car blew it out of the water.

"It's the Blue Flame," I muttered, running the tips of my fingers over the hood.

"That name doesn't really make any sense," Adrian said from the curb. "It's red."

I turned back to him and smiled. "It's the name of the engine," I said. "It's called a Blue Flame." I turned back to the masterpiece in front of me. "But I think the name suits this car."

"Let's take it for a ride then," Adrian said. His voice was in my ear and I spun around to see that he'd snuck up on me. He was standing so close now...

"Okay," I breathed. My heart had started hammering in my chest. I told myself it was excitement at being able to drive the car, but even I wasn't fooled.

Adrian lifted his hand, the keys dangling from his long fingers. I reached out to grab them but he caught ahold of my hand, the keys trapped between our palms. His eyes were so green and staring directly into me. I realized right then just how much I'd missed him recently. I was glad that we were over that period in our relationship and I didn't ever want to go back to it.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "For doing this. For being my friend. For everything."

He continued to watch me, silently searching for something. He must have found whatever it was because a look passed over his expression. A look of friendship and fondness and... hope. Eventually he smiled and dropped the keys into my hand, heading to the passenger side door.

"Let's see how fast this baby can go," he smirked.

I grinned and hopped into the drivers seat.


	2. Voicemail

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**So here's another cute (I hope) little one shot for you guys. This one has to do with Rose finding out about Sydney and Adrian's relationship. I hope you enjoy it. Review and let me know! Also don't forget to send in prompts or ideas you might have :)**

**P.S. for the reviewer who in the prompt about Adrian finding out why Sydney did what she did to Keith, I've already written that scene in my other story Of Magic and Misery. It's Chapter 10 if you feel like going over and checking it out. That chapter pretty much only focuses on that discussion so it shouldn't matter if you haven't read the rest.**

I was usually more than happy to kiss Adrian. We'd been together for a few months now. Eddie and Angeline even knew about our relationship. I was pretty sure Dimitri and Sonya did too, even though I'd never expressly told them about it.

But right now, while I was on the phone with Rose, who I was pretty sure did not know about our relationship, I didn't find the way Adrian leaned in and kissed my neck appropriate. I pushed him back, trying to focus on my conversation with Rose.

"I really think Lissa's finally getting somewhere with these hereditary laws," she was saying. "More and more people are backing her decisions every time she holds a meeting. Hopefully you guys will be out of there soon."

Adrian kissed my neck again, right below my ear. "Hopefully not," he murmured against my skin.

A small, "Mmm," sound escaped me, but Rose took it for assent.

In his defense, it wasn't like we hadn't been kissing before Rose had called. We had been. A lot. So much, in fact, that Adrian's shirt was currently located in the kitchen from when he'd flung it over his head before. My shirt was only a few buttons short of joining it.

Rose was still talking, I wasn't sure about what. I heard words like _Court_ and _royals_, even a few _pain in the ass_'s. But the way Adrian's tongue kept darting into my right ear was really distracting.

I pulled the phone away from my other ear and covered the microphone. "Will you, please, stop it?," I hissed.

"You really want me to stop?" he asked, looking at me seriously. "Because you just say the word and I'll stop."

"Sydney?" I could hear Rose calling for me from the phone in my hand. "Sydney, you still there?"

I looked at the phone, then back up to Adrian, determined to say the word. I was thoroughly frustrated with myself when my eyes darted to his lips quickly, causing him to smirk.

With a mischevious glimmer in his green eyes he pressed the phone back to my ear and then leaned in to press a kiss against my collarbone. He peppered my neck with warm, wet kisses before pressing his tongue flat against my throat and—

I wasn't quite sure, but I mumbled something along the lines of, "Something's come up, I've gotta go," to Rose before hanging up and dropping the phone on the floor next to the couch.

I reasoned with myself that I hadn't hung up on anything important. She'd really only called to chat. I knew I'd still feel bad later, but right now, with Adrian unbuttoning the rest of my shirt, I couldn't care less.

He was the only person I'd ever met who had the incredible ability to make my brain cease to function. And I liked to take advantage of it whenever I got the chance.

###

When I woke up at Amberwood the next morning, I realized I'd had a missed call in the middle of the night. It was from Rose. And she'd left a message.

The guilt over hanging up on her last night hit me like a brick, making me feel like the world's most horrible friend. She'd called to catch up and I'd hung up to make out with my boyfriend. Without any sort of explanation.

What had I been thinking? It wasn't like we lived normal lives. Our lives were dangerous and me hanging up was so out of character she'd probably been freaking out all night, wondering if something had happened to me.

I took a deep breath and then played her voicemail.

"Hey, Sydney," she dragged out the words. It sounded like she was smiling, which eased the tension I was feeling somewhat. If she was smiling she couldn't be that worried, right?

But then her next words stopped me in my tracks.

"So, next time you lie to me so you and Adrian can get it on, please remember to actually _hang up_ the phone. I listened to you guys making out for over a minute before I realized what I was hearing. I feel like I need to wash my ears out with soap now. So thanks."

I knew my face must have been a color similar to that of a fire engine. I hadn't hung up the phone? So she'd heard...

"Don't worry," Rose said in the voicemail, practically reading my thoughts. "I hung up once the _oohs_ and _aahs_ and _ohs_ started. But seriously, I almost had a heart attack when I realized you were with Adrian. How the hell did that happen? Anyway, just wanted to let you know you owe me an explanation, a _huge_ one."

I dreaded that explanation. Not because I thought she'd react badly to the news that Adrian and I were together—if anything last night's slip up and this voicemail had proven she was cool with it. But that presented its own laundry list of problems. Most involving nonstop questions and teasing.

"Just call me back when you finally manage to pry yourself away from Adrian." The sound of Rose laughing was the last thing I heard before the message ended.

_Awesome_, I thought. _I'm never going to hear the end of this_.

Oh, Adrian was _so_ dead.


	3. Pink Blanket

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**So this one is a little different. It was an idea that popped into my head yesterday and I just couldn't stop thinking about it until I wrote it down. I hope that it makes sense and is enjoyable and not too cheesy. Please review and let me know!**

Sometimes change happens slowly. Like falling in love. It happens quietly and without a whole lot of fanfare. Sometimes you know it's coming and sometimes it hits you out of the blue, but looking back it's been there the whole time. Sometimes it's the last thing you could have ever possibly foreseen for yourself. For your life.

But then other changes come more quickly. Like when a relationship ends. When it's sucked away from you before it ever really had a chance to develop. Then you're left trying to get back the thing that was ripped away.

But not all quick changes are a bad thing. Sometimes they're the exact thing you've been waiting for. Like finally landing that one lead that can help you get back the thing you've been searching for.

I shook off the thought. I couldn't focus on anything but the task at hand. I couldn't get caught up in the hope and joy that breaking into this building brought me. I couldn't risk the distraction. She was too important.

It had been nearly a year since the Alchemists took her away from me. Nearly a year since I saw those beautiful golden eyes light up when she smiled. Since I heard her laugh. Anxiety flooded me every time I thought about it. What if she wasn't here? Despite what my contact had said about the Alchemists keeping reeducation patients in this building, she might not be here.

Dammit! I had to concentrate.

I followed Eddie and Dimitri down the deserted hallway. It was sterile and white with fluorescent bulbs lighting the way. There were no shadows, no places to hide. I wasn't sure if that was comforting or terrifying.

Dimitri held up a hand in a hold motion as we came to a connecting hallway. He was such a freaking boy scout. I probably would have made fun of him if I wasn't feeling so indebted right now. He was helping me, after all.

After checking it out he motioned us forward, down the hall and to the right. This was it. This was where she should be.

There weren't any Alchemists guarding this hallway, no one guarding the people in the small cells on either side. Eddie and I peered through the plexiglass windows on the steel doors, looking for her, while Dimitri stood guard. If anyone did come along I trusted him to handle it.

The first three cells were empty, the next had a woman in it. She was older, with limp brown hair. Definitely not the woman I'd come looking for. I felt bad passing by her cell, but I couldn't risk jeopardizing the plan by breaking anyone else out. I just couldn't.

"Adrian," Eddie hissed and my heart sped up. "Over here."

I'm pretty sure I moved faster than I ever had before. I was peering into the cell he gestured to within the space of a blink. At first I didn't see anyone inside. White cinderblock walls surrounded a room no more than six feet wide. There was a cot pushed up against the far wall, a thin, scratchy looking blanket crumpled on top of it. It wasn't until I pressed my face against the glass that I saw what Eddie was referring to.

A small, blonde was sitting in the corner by the door. Her head buried in her knees so I couldn't make out her features. Even so, I was about ninety percent certain this was the woman I'd been looking for.

I used the keycard Marcus managed to swipe for me and opened the cell door. It swung into the room and I was right behind it, turning so I could see her.

She didn't even look up. Whatever they'd been doing to her, she wasn't even interested to know who'd come into her room. But I saw the way her muscles tensed. It was a small thing, but I noticed it. She was playing tough, but she was still scared.

For a moment I stood there, staring, completely mute. If I called her name and she looked up and it wasn't her I might have fallen apart, right there. Worse, if I called her name and it was her, but she didn't remember me. Or what if she was scared of me now? That was what reeducation was for, right? To put fear back into people the Alchemists deemed too close to vampires. What if they'd succeeded?

I forced myself to take a step closer and I even managed to say her name.

"Sydney?"

Her responding flinch hit me in the gut almost as much as her disappearance did ten months ago. I pushed passed it and knelt beside her. "Sydney? It's me."

Finally she looked up. And it was her. It was without a doubt Sydney Sage looking back at me. But there was something off in her golden gaze. Like the spark had died inside of her. It broke my heart.

She stared at me for a few seconds. Searching my face for something. At least she recognized me, I think. And she didn't look afraid...

"Did they finally get your eyes right?" she asked quizzically. She sounded so normal, so Sydney, yet there was something wrong with her words. What was she talking about?

"Sydney, we have to go now," I said firmly. Standing, I held a hand out to help her up. She looked at it suspiciously and then up at me.

"I won't fall for it. Even if they did get the eyes right. You're not him and I'm not going anywhere until I see her." Her chin jutted out in defiance and I was struck by how much I loved this girl, even when I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Sage," I said softly, "we have to go." I grabbed hold of her hand and drag her to her feet. Surprisingly, she let me. "Whatever you're talking about we'll figure it out once we get the hell out of here."

Once standing, she stared at me again. For longer this time. She took in everything about me in that look. Everywhere her gaze touched I felt warm, comfortable, like sleeping in after an especially bad hangover. I took her in, too. For some reason I had gotten it into my head that the Alchemists would keep her malnourished. That they'd starve her while she was here, keeping her weak. But she looked healthy. Really healthy. She had gained a few pounds since the last time I'd seen her. And it was most obvious when my gaze skimmed over her chest.

"Adrian?" she asked, sounding baffled. "Are you... you're here. You must be. The other one's never call me Sage... Adrian, what's going on?"

My breath caught when she said my name. She did recognize me and she was clearly not afraid. My fear of her being brainwashed and crazy ebbed away as I watched her take in her surroundings. Her mouth dropped open when she saw Eddie in the open doorway behind me.

"It's not a dream," she whispered and the look of hope in her eyes made me smile.

"Not a dream," I repeated.

Then she launched herself at me. Her arms swung around my neck and she kissed me in a way that was almost embarrassing with Eddie standing right there. But I didn't care. I kissed her back, pulling her closer, tighter. My hands traveled down her body, pulling her legs up around my waist. I wanted to weld the two of us together in that position. I was never letting go of her again.

Finally she pulled away, gasping, and I set her on her feet. Eddie cleared his throat.

"You guys, we really need to go now." Then he smiled a little. "Hey, Sydney."

She grinned the most amazing grin I'd ever seen on anyone's face and let go of me to go hug him. I took her hand and led her down the cell block to where Dimitri was waiting. Even the Russian looked relieved to see her. He pulled her into a hug and then he was back in guardian mode, eyes sweeping down the hall.

"It's still clear," he said softly. "We need to go now."

I nodded, taking Sydney's hand again and intertwining our fingers. I turned down the hall in the direction we had planned, but Sydney dug her heels in, refusing to budge.

"Sage," I started, but she shook her head.

"Wait here," she whispered and then slipped her fingers from mine and took off down the hall in the opposite direction. It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening, that Sydney was running away, then I took off after her.

I had no idea where she was going as I followed her through the halls and into a stairwell, but I'd be damned if I let her out of my sight again. Two flights of stairs later I watched her slip through a door and down another sterile, white hallway. She slid into a room just as three men in casual business attire strolled down the hall. One had a coffee in his hand and was joking with the others. I dipped back into the stairwell before they saw me.

"Adrian?" I heard Eddie calling from a flight down. "Is everything alright up there?"

"Sydney ran into some room," I said back. "There are alchemists in the hall. I can't get to her. Wait. They're leaving."

I pushed the door open again, about to follow after Sydney, when I saw her dart through the door and back into the stairwell. She was already pushing passed me, running down the stairs with a pink bundle in her hands. I shook my head, fearing that I may have gone insane for real this time.

Was that a baby in her arms?

She shot passed Eddie and into the hall, back to where Dimitri was waiting.

"Is she carrying a baby?" Eddie asked me, looking confused.

I shrugged and kept moving. Dimitri didn't comment on the baby, and thankfully the little rugrat kept quiet too as we followed the twists and turns of the Alchemist labyrinth. For the most part, the halls were clear, just like Marcus had said they would be, but we had to dodge a few people here and there.

I wanted to take Sydney's hand again. I wanted to pull her to me as we waited for Dimitri to do the final check of the hall leading to our exit. But she had the baby, wrapped in a tiny pink blanket, clutched to her chest. I wanted to ask her what was going on, why she had kidnapped a baby, but there wasn't any time. We'd figure it out once we were clear of the building. Dimitri pushed open the exit door and, with a hand on her back, I led Sydney out of the prison she'd been stuck in for so long.

Tires squealed as a van pulled up in front of us and the side door was thrown open. "Get in!" the blonde girl in the van shouted.

"Jill?" Sydney asked, but climbed into the van. I climbed in after her and pulled her into the back seat with me.

The others hopped in and the driver stepped on the gas, flooring it out onto the road leading away from the reeducation center.

"Sydney?" Rose said as she steered us away from that hellhole. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sydney sighed. She leaned on my shoulder and looked around the van at everyone who helped me get to her. Rose driving like a maniac. Angeline in the passenger seat, watching for anyone who might be tailing us. Dimitri leaning forward to whisper something to Rose. Eddie and Jill sitting next to each other, both of their mouths hanging open as they stared at the baby in Sydney's arms. I turned to look at it, too.

_What could the Alchemists be doing with a baby in a place like that_? A part of me really didn't even want to know.

"Sage?" I asked, putting an arm around her and reaching to turn her face toward me. She shook me off and pulled the baby closer, moving the fuzzy pink blanket away from its face.

She leaned in, whispering to the kid. Nothing that I could make out as actual English phrases. Just soft cooing noises.

"Sydney," Jill said quietly. "What's with the baby?"

I stroked her hair with one hand as she held the little girl—I assumed from the pink blanket that it was a girl—tight.

"She's–she's..." Sydney stuttered over her words, scaring me a little. Sydney rarely stuttered over anything. "I couldn't leave her."

"Okay," I said. "It's okay. No one is going to make you leave her. But why don't you let Jill hold her for just a couple of minutes, until I can get you checked out?"

Even after ten months Sydney still turned to me and raised her eyebrows in that _yeah right_ sort of way she had. I smirked.

"I mean it. I just want to make sure you're okay. Please?" When she still didn't look convinced I leaned close. "I just want to hold you for a minute, okay?" I whispered. "We'll take care of the kid, but please? Just give me a minute?"

I watched as Sydney's eyes closed slowly, tears spilling from underneath her lashes. "I can't," she said. "I can't let her go."

"Why not?" I asked, truly at a loss.

She didn't answer me. Instead, she held the baby up for me to see. The kid looked normal enough. All babies kind of look the same, you know? This one was young, a newborn, but there were no obvious scars or wounds that suggested the Alchemists were abusing it. But then the kid opened her eyes and looked at me, and I suddenly had the feeling of being punched in the gut.

Impossibly green eyes looked back at me. The greenest eyes I had ever seen on another person. In fact, the only time I'd ever seen eyes like that were when... when I looked in the mirror.

The kid _cooed_ and _ahhed_ for a second while she looked up at Sydney. Then she turned that brilliant green gaze on me. And, I swear, I felt my heart break into a million different little pieces. I wasn't sure what emotion I was feeling, so I decided that I was feeling all of them. Anger, pain, grief, loss, elation, relief, happiness. But mostly confusion. So that was the one I went with.

"How?" I was almost surprised when I actually managed to say the word. The kid was still staring at me and I was staring right back. _Tough little cookie_, I thought. She didn't look away once. It was like she was studying me, weighing me. Maybe even judging me. I felt judged. But maybe that was just me judging myself.

"How do you think?" Sydney smirked.

I gaped at her and she reigned in her expression. I was usually all for jokes, especially sexual ones—especially, especially sexual jokes from Sydney—but right now, looking at a baby who had clearly stolen my eyes, I wasn't feeling up to it.

"Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood," Sydney said. She fidgeted, fixing the baby's blanket before looking back up to me. "It must have been that time... Remember?"

She said it so carefully, so cautiously, that I wondered if maybe she thought that I wouldn't remember. "Of course I remember," I said. "I remember every moment I've ever spent with you. But how... We were always careful. And, I mean, those are my eyes." For some reason I pointed at the kid, like maybe Sydney hadn't noticed her eyes.

The kid did the strangest thing then. She giggled—it sounded gurgley—and reached up with one tiny little hand. She wrapped five, stubby, little fingers around my pointer and held on for dear life. She was smiling at me. There was a little drool at the corner of her mouth, but she was smiling.

My heart tripped over itself.

"She's mine?" I asked, even though I knew. It only took one look to know. "Which means she's yours. Which means you...?" I gave Sydney's chest another look. "So that's why your boobs are so big."

I hadn't really meant to say that out loud. It was just the first thought that occurred to me. I thought Sydney would look embarrassed or angry—_yeah, Adrian, what a great time to be thinking about my boobs_—but instead she snorted.

"Yeah," she glanced down at herself. "They haven't gone back down to normal size yet."

I bit my tongue to keep from commenting on that. As far as I was concerned I hoped they never went back down to the size they used to be, but now wasn't the time for that statement.

"I didn't know," Sydney was saying, looking down at the baby again. She wouldn't look up at me. "I didn't know until they took me in and ran a few tests. Apparently the Alchemists don't reeducate people until after they know for sure they're not pregnant."

Her tone sounded so bitter my chest ached for her, but still, I almost sighed in relief. "So they didn't hurt you?"

She laughed, but it didn't sound like a happy one. "No. No, they didn't hurt me. Not physically."

The van was silent now. Even holier-than-thou Dimitri was riveted to his spot between the from seat and the middle row, staring back at me and Sydney.

I swallowed, afraid of the implications her words presented. I brushed her bangs back away from her face. They'd grown out in the time she'd been gone.

"They kept me sedated, so I wouldn't be able to get in touch with you. Some special blend, they said, that wouldn't hurt the baby. I couldn't tell you..."

"It's okay," I leaned my head down, resting it against hers and squeezed her shoulder.

"I wanted to tell you so badly. And then once I had her they took her from me a–and..." Her voice cracked. "They asked me so many questions. Made me do things–"

"What kind of things?" I demanded, my brain already imagining the worst of the worst.

"Not those types of things," she said quickly, freeing one hand from the—from _our_—baby and taking my hand in hers. "It was mostly about magic. They didn't even seem to care that I was pregnant with a half-vampire. All they wanted to know was what I could do with my magic. They made me help them with things. I performed spells for them and in exchange I could see her," she said, pulling the kid close again. "I tried to escape once, but they... They threatened her. I knew I should try again, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

I sat back, one arm still around her shoulders as I took everything in. The Alchemists had not only kidnapped my girlfriend, but they'd threatened my kid's life...

She watched me for a few seconds, waiting for a reaction, but when I didn't give her one she thought I was angry. "I'm sorry, Adrian. I know I'm dropping this huge bombshell on your head and it's insane to think you'd want this–"

"Sage, what the hell are you talking about?" I asked. "Don't say things like that. You have no idea how much I want this."

And I did. It surprised me how much I did want it. How much I wanted her and this sweet, innocent child we'd created. The baby giggled at me again, wiggling its feet inside the blanket.

"I think she wants me," I said to Sydney, smiling a little.

"You think every girl wants you," she teased, but her voice sounded thicker than usual.

I raised my eyebrows, asking silent permission to hold my daughter.

_My daughter._ Those were probably the scariest two words I'd ever thought in my entire life.

But somehow, when Sydney cooed, "You want to go to Daddy?" my heart felt like it might explode from sheer joy. I was this sweet little thing's father. And that scared me as much as it excited me. I took the pink bundle from Sydney and held it carefully to my chest. The last thing I wanted to do was fumble my kid the first time I held her.

"What's her name?" I asked, feeling the kid wriggle around in my arms. I gave her back my finger and she wrapped her hand around it.

Sydney leaned over, fussing with the pink blanket again. I realized it was a nervous habit she'd developed. "Her name, it's... it's Adrianna."

I whipped around to look at her, but she wouldn't meet my gaze.

"I know," she said. "It's cheesy, but... I wasn't sure if she'd ever meet you. I wanted to give her something of yours. Your name was the only thing I could think of."

I looked down at my daughter. Adrianna Ivashkov. "It's not cheesy," I said. "It's beautiful. She's beautiful."

Sydney smiled. She looked like she was glowing she was smiling so brightly. "You're just saying that because she looks like you," she joked.

I looked back down at Adrianna and shook my head. "She looks like _you_. Blonde hair, perfect, little kissable nose." I leaned down and kissed my baby's nose. She giggled again and I smiled, then turned and kissed Sydney's nose. "Yup. Definitely the same nose."

Sydney was still smiling but it started to wobble. I watched her eyes well up and her chin tremble. "God, I missed you," she said, her voice cracking.

I wrapped an arm around her again, pulling her close to me. She buried her head in my shirt, both arms wrapping around my waist. I looked up to see everyone had, at some point, turned to face forward in their seats. Giving us the illusion of privacy. It was a small van and there was no way they couldn't hear everything we were saying, but I appreciated the gesture. The only one who met my gaze was Rose. She was looking at me through the rearview mirror.

"When we stop for gas someone is changing seats with me," she announced, "so I can sit in the back and play with the baby."

Sydney laughed at Rose's demand, which caused Adrianna to giggle again. I pressed my cheek against the top of Sydney's head and held her close, thinking about how fast things change. How just this morning I was lonely and miserable, desperate to find this girl. Now, here I was, one arm wrapped around the love of my life, the other wrapped around the daughter I didn't know we had. Everything had changed. I had changed. It was both fast and slow. I had been changing ever since I'd been exiled to Palm Springs with the rest of them. But I'd also changed so drastically in the last five minutes I wasn't sure I'd recognize myself in the mirror. I'd gone from flippant, womanizer to someone's boyfriend, and then to someone's father. And I wasn't going to screw those new roles up.

No way in hell.


	4. Hero

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**I'm updating again this week! Yay! And this is another weird one. Kind of. It was inspired by a picture on the Official Bloodlines Facebook page. A picture of Adrian carrying Sydney out of a fire. OMG. I'm dying here waiting for TIS so I saw the picture and this popped into my head. If you haven't see the pic, I suggest going to check it out. Because holy sexy!**

**Anyway, review and let me know what you think!**

I spun, frantically searching the abandoned house for Carly. She had to be here. This was where she had been, this was where Mrs. Terwilliger's pychotic sister Genevieve told me she would be. Maybe that had been my first mistake. Trusting someone I was pretty sure wanted me dead. But if she had Carly I couldn't take any chances. I'd jumped in Latte and driven off for Los Angeles the second she'd called.

Adrian had begged me not to go. _Just wait for me, Sage! Just wait!_ That might have been my second mistake. I hadn't waited. I'd left without him, I didn't even bother telling Eddie or Angeline I was leaving at all. When I arrived at the house and noticed the first wafts of smoke drifting up from under the front door I figured it was better that way. Adrian wouldn't have let me run into a burning house and Eddie would have wanted to go in himself. I couldn't let either of those things happen. This was my problem, my sister, and I needed to handle it.

I'd run through the door despite the fire, coughing from the already thick smoke rising in the living room.

"Carly!"

I could barely see it was so hazy. The thick, acrid smell burned my lungs as I tried to breathe through it. I just needed to find Carly.

The fire was spreading quickly and I tried to check the rooms as fast as I could. I scanned the rooms downstairs before heading up to the second floor. I knew that if she was on the second floor our chances of making it out of this house alive were greatly decreased, but I couldn't leave my sister in this house. I couldn't.

When I made it to the top of the stairs I heard a loud crack. I didn't stop to look behind me, but I was pretty sure a part of the ceiling had caved in. The crackling flames were almost deafening, surrounding me at every turn.

"Carly!"

I opened a door on my left and was met by a huge hole in the floorboards. Orange flames shooting up, illuminating the room in a dangerous glow. I swung the door closed quickly, hoping somehow the thin piece of wood would keep the flames back.

The hallway was too smoky, almost black, but I ran quickly to the door at the end, pushing it open and entering the room. The floor was intact, at least, but there was no sign of Carly.

Tears were running down my cheeks, no doubt mixing with the smoke and ash coating my face. Where was she?

I was gasping for air and crying and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stay in this house any longer. I'd die. Carly wasn't here. Genevieve had tricked me.

I stumbled to a window and, with clumsy fingers, desperately tried to open it.

A part of me had known it was a trap. The logical, Alchemist part of me. The part that was always thinking, always rationalizing. Genevieve knew I'd never join her coven like she wanted, so she'd decided to kill me instead. Eliminating the enemy, or maybe the competition. I wasn't sure how she saw me. I didn't know what about me screamed _adversary_ to her, but I did know she'd kidnapped my sister and used her to lure me into a burning building.

I finally managed to unhook the latch of the window. Wedging my fingers underneath the glass, I wrenched up as hard as I could. I needed the air outside. The pure, clean oxygen that was waiting right on the other side of this window. But the window would only lift about an inch. I tried again, my hands stinging with the effort, but it wouldn't budge.

I gagged in the smoke, but managed to stay alert enough to scan the window sill. There must have been something blocking...

Then I saw it. It was a small thing, just the tiniest head of a screw, jutting out from the side of the window, but it was also the only thing keeping me in this room. The only thing keeping me from breathing. Genevieve, or one of her minions, had nailed the window shut.

I tried pulling at the screw, but only the tips of my fingers could get a hold of it. And even then it hurt. Bad enough to have me whimpering in pain. From the dim light filtering through the window from the street lamp outside I was able to see how red the skin on my hands looked. Red and raw. Burned. No wonder my hands stung so badly. I must have burned them while searching the house...

This was bad. I turned around toward the bedroom door, but the orange glow slipping under the door from the hallway told me it wasn't safe out there.

Fuzzy as I felt from the lack of oxygen, I knew I had to break the window. It was the only chance I had. I turned, but couldn't see anything in the room. When I'd first come in, there had only been a bed in the corner. No chairs or lamps or anything that could help me break out the glass window. I blinked hard, fighting against the sudden dizziness, and bent to take off my heel. I was pretty sure I could use it to...

...break...

...the glass.

My eyes stung from the smoke, my hands stung from the flames, the heat of the fire was rising up through the floorboards. I thought I heard sirens coming from outside, but when I looked there were no fire engines. No police.

Just...

...just a yellow Mustang.

I blinked a few times. Was there really a Mustang outside or was I just hallucinating from lack of oxygen? When I saw him standing outside on the front lawn, fear and shock and something that looked like rage playing over his beautiful features, my heart thumped once in my chest.

Adrian was here.

But it wasn't any good. He couldn't get to me. By now the whole first floor was engulfed in flames, and he didn't know where I was...

I raised my arm, the thick air and the heat making me feel like I was moving in slow motion, and swung the heel of my shoe at the glass. The heel might have made a sound when it hit, but I couldn't hear it over the raging fire. I couldn't hear it over my own heart beat. Over the blackness that was rushing towards me from all sides.

I swayed back, away from the window.

When I hit the ground, my first thought was that it was easier to breathe down here, but it was much hotter. Then the blackness surrounded me and I didn't think anymore.

###

My brain kicked back in before my body did. At first, all I knew was that I hurt. Badly. I was hot, my skin stung, felt like the worst sort of prickling. A thousand needles poking me all at the same time. I wanted to scream, but my body wasn't responding to what my brain was telling it. Something was wrong.

Sound came rushing back then. Everything was so loud, but I couldn't distinguish one sound from another. Sirens, voices, a loud crashing noise. It started to become recognizable. I could hear someone crying. Painful sounding sobs.

Someone was touching my face. It hurt. I wanted to tell them to stop, to stop touching me, to leave me alone, to get me out of here. This _hurt_! Why wouldn't they stop hurting me?

Then I remembered the fire. I was in a blazing house. I had passed out. Maybe the pain I kept feeling was my flesh burning in the flames? But no. That wouldn't feel like fingers caressing my cheeks.

A warm glow radiated through me. It tingled through my hands, up my arms and over my face. It engulfed me. All I felt were comfort and relief. The horrible stinging was gone, replaced by soothing strokes from someone's fingers.

No. Not someone.

Adrian.

I opened my eyes and there he was. Leaning over me. His green eyes glowed in the flames from the house. I leaned my head back to see that the house was consumed in those flames. There would be nothing left soon.

"Sage?" Adrian whispered, his voice low and thick with emotions. It tore at my heart to hear it.

I turned back to him, noticing for the first time that he was cradling me in his lap. It felt nice to just lie there with him. And I didn't think trying to get up would be the best decision in this case. He'd healed whatever was physically wrong with me, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn't happy.

"Hi," I whispered back. I couldn't think of anything else to say. I could say _thank you, _but what was I thanking him for exactly? For saving me? Would a simple thank you ever be enough?

Adrian wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight to his chest. He buried his face in my soot cover tangle of hair. It couldn't have been pleasant to breathe in, but he didn't seem to care as he pressed his nose to my neck and inhaled deeply.

He pulled back and took my face between his palms. "Don't you ever do that to me again. When I tell you to wait, you wait! Do you hear me?"

I nodded, tears forming in my eyes because I could now see the wet trails that streaked his ash covered face. He'd cried over me. Over my injured, unconscious body. And then he'd healed me.

His bottom lip trembled for a moment before he pulled me to him, burying his face back into the crook of my neck. I wanted to stay that way forever. I was here, he was here, nothing else mattered.

But it did matter, of course. Genevieve hadn't succeeded in killing me, but she still had Carly. Still had my sister trapped somewhere, ready to use her against me once again.

I started to pull back, my brain starting to rapid fire questions through my head. Where could Genevieve be holding Carly? How could I track them down? What would I do if I did find them? But then a sniffling sound jerked me from my thoughts.

I looked up to see Jill standing above me. Eddie and Angeline were on either side of her. She dropped down to her knees and pulled me into a hug. It was slightly uncomfortable because Adrian hadn't let go of me yet and I was still sitting in his lap.

"Thank god you're okay," she cried. "We were so scared when we pulled up and saw the flames. And then Adrian ran in to find you and–"

"What?" I asked, pulling back to look at her. Then I shifted my gaze to Adrian. He met my look with a determined one of his own. "You ran into a burning building for me?"

He didn't say anything, just watched me take in the news. I didn't take it well.

"Why would you do something so stupid?" I asked. "Why would you run into a burning building? You could have died–"

"Yeah. And so could you. It didn't stop you, did it?" His gaze was fierce, but not cold. He was concerned and angry with me for doing something stupid, the same way I felt towards him.

I sighed and leaned my head against his chest. Yelling at him for saving me was not only hypocritical, it was also ungrateful. I hugged him, trying to put all of my love and thanks into it, before turning around to look at the house again. It was almost completely demolished now. Nothing left but charred remnants of what used to be.

"How did you get in there? How'd you even know where to look for me?" I asked curiously.

Adrian helped me to my feet right as the first fire engine pulled to the curb. "Your aura," he said softly. "I could see your aura. Purple and gold, even through all that smoke. You were trying to get out of the upstairs window."

"Yeah," Eddie said, sounding weary. "He spotted you and ran in before we could stop him. We didn't even have a plan. I didn't know he could see you. I thought we were going to be attending two funerals..."

"Don't talk like that," Jill cried, slamming her hand into Eddie's shoulder in anger. "They're both fine. That's what's important."

"It is. And before you can even say anything, Sage, we're going to find your sister," Adrian said firmly. "But we're going to do it as a team. All of us."

"Yeah," Eddie agreed. "No more running off on your own without consulting anybody. The both of you," he added pointing at me and Adrian.

I looked around at all of my friends, saw the lingering fear still in their eyes, and nodded. I wouldn't run off without them again. They cared for me. We were a family. I owed them more than that. Besides, they were probably the best chance I had at getting my sister back.

We slipped across the street and into Adrian's Mustang before the firefighters realized we weren't just bystanders gawking at the fire. Adrian pulled me into the backseat with him, letting Angeline drive, while Jill and Eddie took Latte. When I claimed to be fine to drive he protested, saying we were both too wiped after the stunt I'd pulled. Once his arm wrapped around me and I sunk into his side I stopped complaining. I took one last look at the flames through the rear window, watching as the firefighters doused them with water, before facing forward. I took Adrian's hand in mine, linking our fingers.

"You're my hero, you know," I whispered, low enough that I knew only he could hear.

"Of course," he joked. "I'm your personal knight in shining armor. At your service."

His tone was light, but I could hear the truth behind the joke. I could see it in his eyes. He'd run into a burning building to save me. He loved me enough to risk his own life for me. And he was embarrassed by the praise he so obviously deserved.

I leaned closer, close enough to press my lips to his. It was a quick kiss, but meaningful. When I opened my eyes he was staring right back at me. "Thank you," I said. And then, because I needed to say it and he deserved to hear it, I whispered, "I love you."

His smile was brief, a slight upturn of his lips, and then he brought them back down to meet mine. Kissing me in the cramped back seat of his Mustang.


	5. Pie

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Okay, so this one is short and a maybe a little stupid, but I got the idea from the TIS trailer. Leave a review and let me know what you think!**

"Just one bite, Sage," Adrian pressed.

He was sitting across the small, two-person table from me, holding out a fork full of blueberry pie. He'd been trying for a few minutes to get me to eat it.

"No," I said again, for what seemed like the millionth time. "I'm not hungry."

Finally Adrian dropped the fork back to his plate with a huff. "Fine," he said, "but why do we even bother coming to this place if you won't try the pie?"

I laughed. "Are you serious? We come here because you rant and rave about how amazing the pie is. '_It's my favorite, Sage. There should be some kind of law against making any other type of pie_.'" I think I did a pretty good impression of him.

He lifted the fork again, taking a bite of the piece of pie I'd refused to eat. "They do have the best blueberry pie I've ever tasted." He waggled the fork in front of me, seeming to forget that he'd just tried this tactic and it hadn't worked. "Are you sure you don't want a taste?"

I was about to roll my eyes and tell him that we were never coming here for dinner ever again, but then I caught sight of a little smudge of purple jam near the corner of his mouth and an idea began to form. We were in a secluded part of the restaurant so I decided to go for it. I smirked and stood a little, leaning over the table towards him.

"Well," I smiled coyly, "maybe just a taste..."

Instead of leaning down to try some of the pie he offered I kept leaning towards him. He seemed to understand what I wanted because he leaned in too, meeting me halfway. His lips were sweet and sticky and he was right. The blueberry pie tasted so good on him. My tongue traced the shape of his lips, sucking at the blueberry jam at the corner of his mouth. When his lips finally parted with mine it was like the perfect sweet treat...

"Sydney?" A familiar voice called out. A voice I completely ignored while Adrian's tongue was doing sinful things to me. But then my brain kicked back in and I recognized the voice that had called out to me.

I pulled back from Adrian quickly, causing him to whine in disappointment, and looked in the direction the voice had come from. I hoped it wasn't who I knew it was.

No such luck.

Brayden was standing there, a cute brunette with glasses at his side, staring at us. Eyes wide, mouth agape, he looked like he was in shock. I'd never seen his calm, intellectual demeanor so disturbed. He snapped his mouth shut, then opened it again, no noise coming from him.

"I can explain," I started to say, sitting back in my chair.

"Explain why your brother just had his tongue down your throat?" he asked, incredulously. "Or why you were licking his face in the first place?"

Brayden's date looked at me and then to Adrian with a horrified look in her eyes.

I tried to think of a reasonable excuse for something like this, something I could explain away, but I was drawing a blank. There was no rational excuse to be caught making out with your supposed brother in public. I slowly looked back at Brayden, terrified to see the look in his eyes. But then Adrian spoke.

"I'm not _actually_ her brother, Holden," he said, smoothly.

"It's Brayden," I said, more out of habit than politeness, but no one was listening to me.

"Yes you are," Brayden affirmed. "Sydney said you were. So did Trey. And she was always annoyed at you for interrupting things and dragging her off."

Adrian smirked, but it looked dangerous. Like he was about to do some damage.

"Listen, Brian," he said. "I know you're a smart guy, so think about it. I mean, do we look anything alike? Do we act like a brother and sister? Did it ever seem like we had an awful lot of sexual tension for siblings?"

Brayden just gaped at him. His date looked like she was desperately trying to understand what was going on. I wanted to bury my head thinking about the things Brayden was going to tell her once Adrian and I left.

"All of that witty repartee we engage in," Adrian went on, "it's called flirting. You should probably take notes. Based on what I've seen from you, I'm guessing you need practice." He looked over to Brayden's date. "Am I right?" he smirked.

"But... But when we dated..." Brayden stammered. I felt terrible for confusing someone as smart as Brayden, but I had no idea what to say so I just sat there and let Adrian finish.

"When you dated, how many times did Sydney disappear to be with me?" he asked, something in his voice slightly menacing. I couldn't tell if he was being a jerk to convince Brayden or if he really liked shoving our relationship in his face. "How many times were you left at the curb while your date when home with me?"

"But you're related," Brayden repeated. "Even Trey said you were..."

"Sydney told the school I was her older brother so they wouldn't give her a hard time whenever she spent the night at my place." Adrian's matter of fact tone had even me believing his version of things. "Trust me, Brady. A brother and sister do not do the types of things Sydney and I do together."

Brayden gawked at us for a few seconds more before shaking his head. He gave me one last look—desperately asking me for answers I couldn't give him, I could tell—before grabbing his dates hand and pulling her to a table on the other side of the restaurant. After that Adrian got the check and we were out the door as quickly as possible.

That hadn't gone well, but at least I was now certain that Brayden would never again bring up my relationship with Adrian. He'd probably never even speak to me again. Still, I was a little mad at Adrian's lack of discretion.

"Did you really have to be so straightforward?" I asked as we walked to the car. "I think you were a little rough on him. You didn't need to be so mean."

"Hey," Adrian stated as if he wasn't concerned, "I got him off our back. Besides, you're the one who practically attacked me across the table. If you wanted a taste of pie so badly you could've just taken the bite I offered you."

I rolled my eyes and started to protest, but Adrian cut me off, telling me to wait by the car for him. "Be right back," he called, heading back into the Pies and Stuff.

I waited and about two minutes later he strolled back out of the restaurant, a plastic bag in hand.

"What's that?" I asked, pulling the passenger side door of his Mustang open when he clicked the locks. Our pending argument over his explanation to Brayden forgotten for the moment.

"A piece of blueberry pie," he explained, rounding the car and opening his own door. He smirked at me over the roof of the car. "I wasn't quite done with our taste test yet."

My cheeks felt like they were on fire with all of the things his words implied, but I laughed a little and got into the car.


	6. Lace

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Have you guys read the second chapter of TIS that they released the other day? OMG! Adrian is so swoony and so funny and gah! Why can't TIS be out already?**

**Anyway, here's another one shot for you guys. Let me know what you think! Review! And let me know if you have any ideas for a Christmas or New Years themed one shot. I want to get out one more of these before Christmas!**

I, Sydney Catherine Sage, had done a lot of things in my fairly short life. I'd learned several different languages and could speak them all fluently. I could make chemical compounds for basically any situation. I had assisted in a jail break and aided and abetted the fugitive after she'd broken out. I'd had a guy's eye cut out after he'd raped my sister. I'd even learned how to use magic, something I didn't even know was possible. But this, this was possibly the hardest thing I'd ever had to do.

"Sydney," Rose said firmly. "You're not getting out of this so let's just go in already."

I stared up at the black sign with pink lettering, a frown pulling my eyebrows closer together.

"Come on, Sydney," Lissa said. She smiled and waved me forward. "It'll be fun."

Jill grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the store. "It's going to be so much fun. Trust us! This is bonding, remember? We're bonding."

Rose smirked and followed after us. "It's a right of passage."

"I just don't see," I said, stepping over the threshold and into the store, "how shopping for underwear is a right of passage."

"Just is," Rose said distractedly, already veering to the side to look at something lacy and risqué. It was red and would look amazing on her. Obviously. Everything looked amazing on Rose. She was exotic and curvy and beautiful in a way I'd never be.

"But why do I have to get something?" I asked. "I mean, you guys are the ones who wanted to come here. Not me."

Jill let go of me to look at a cute pink bra with heart shapes on it. She poked the padding in the cup a few times and then dropped it back onto the display table.

"Stop complaining and find cute things!" Rose demanded.

I rolled my eyes, but went to look at a rack of bras. They were simple undergarments, nothing racy on the whole rack. I figured I could get a couple of these and get them off of my back. I started picking up a solid baby blue bra in my size when Jill came over and whacked it out of my hand.

"No!" she squealed. "You are not here to pick up a few new bras!"

I looked at her like she had three heads. If I wasn't here to shop for underwear, than why was I here? Shopping for underwear?

Rose strolled over, laughing under her breath. "We're not here to shop for regular bras and underwear, is what Jill means," she explained. "We're buying the fun stuff."

"Care to explain what that means?" I asked, crossing my arms. I had the feeling I wasn't going to like her answer.

Just then Lissa came trotting across the store, her blonde hair flowing behind her and a black lace negligee in her hands. She smiled and thrust the teddy at me. "Here, try this. It would look awesome on you."

I stared at the tiny scrap of fabric in my hands with abject horror. I could completely see through it. All of it! I shook my head. "This isn't really my style," I said kindly, trying to hand the garment back to her.

The Moroi queen took a step back, grinning like a thirteen year old girl. "Oh, just try it on," she said. "It's fun just to try. It doesn't mean you have to buy it."

Rose took a corner of the lace between her fingers, feeling the fabric. "This is nice, Lis. Where'd you find it?"

"They have a whole rack of them in the back." Lissa pointed in the general direction she'd come from. "All different styles, too."

"Do they have anything in cotton?" I grumbled, already knowing I wouldn't be allowed to touch anything cotton as long as Jill and Rose were around.

Jill pushed me towards the dressing room, ignoring my question. As Jill pushed me behind the partition separating the store from the dressing rooms I saw Rose and Lissa giggling and pointing at a leather bustier.

"Just try it, please, Sydney?" Jill said, pulling out her puppy dog eyes. It really wasn't fair of her. She'd learned the move from Adrian. It was something he did whenever he wanted something from me and didn't think I was going to give in. I couldn't seem to resist them when he did it and it was only slightly less difficult to resist Jill.

"Fine," I groaned, stepping into one of the fitting rooms and pulling the curtain closed behind me. What could it hurt after all? I was just trying it on. And it was very pretty. So not me, but very pretty.

I slipped out of my clothes and into the lacy undergarment. When I turned to look into the mirror I realized just how much this negligee showed off. I had been right about its transparency. There was almost nothing left to the imagination in this thing. It looked nice, sexy even, but it was just too much. Although I did briefly wonder about the look on Adrian's face if I ever wore something like this to bed. I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. His jaw would hit the floor if he ever saw me in this.

I quickly changed back into my clothes, a T-shirt and khakis, before folding the negligee neatly and exiting the dressing room. Jill was waiting for me, a small smile on her face, and Rose was holding a blue bra and panties out to Lissa who had taken the dressing room next to mine while I'd been changing.

"So?" Jill asked excitedly. "Are you going to get it?"

I started to laugh and say not in a million years when my phone buzzed. I reached down and pulled it from my pocket, reading the new text message I'd received. It was from Adrian.

_U almost done? I want 2 get over 2 see my mom early so we have plenty of time later ;)_

I rolled my eyes, but smiled despite myself and answered him back.

"Ooooh!" Rose teased. "Is that Adrian? What's he want for his birthday tonight?" She smirked. "Never mind. I can guess what he wants for his birthday."

I scowled at her. "We're going to see his mom, actually," I told her primly. "Then I'm taking him out to dinner."

"So then you'll give him his present when you get home?" She smiled innocently, even though the look in her eyes was anything but. She gestured to the fabric in my hand.

"I'm not buying this! Besides I already gave him his present this morning. He's been complaining that his paintbrushes were all covered in paint and gunk so I did some research and bought him a new set that supposedly cleans better than his old set."

Rose's expression was bored and she stifled a fake yawn. "That's so interesting. I'm sure he loved it."

"He did. He was really excited," I protested, but now I felt kind of stupid. Did Adrian want a more exciting gift than paintbrushes? Did he want... I mean, would he appreciate me in this negligee more than he did the brush set?

I looked over at Rose, her dark hair flowing around her shoulders and down her back in a waterfall. She always had this wild, untamed look about her. I bet she didn't give Dimitri something stupid and practical for his birthday. She'd probably worn something even racier than the lacy lingerie I'd tried on.

"Adrian really loves the brushes you got him," Jill said quickly, looking up from her phone. I figured she must have been texting Eddie. "He's using them right now, actually. They're perfect."

I nodded, smiling a little. What was I worrying about? This was Adrian. I knew him. I loved him. And he loved me. He'd be happy with whatever I got him.

But, a small part of my brain said, _what could it hurt getting the negligee? You know he'll love it on you._

"But you think I should get this too, right?" I held up the black lace in Jill's direction.

Jill blushed and then shrugged sheepishly.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll get it. Happy now?"

Rose nodded, a huge smile on her face, and Jill grinned excitedly.

I would never admit it, but a part of me was excited about it, too. I couldn't wait to see Adrian's expression when he saw me in this.

Lissa came out of the dressing room then, the blue bra and panties in her hand. "These are so adorable and they make me look like I actually have boobs and a butt. I'm buying them!"

Rose and Jill laughed at her but I was distracted by my phone buzzing.

_Hurry_, Adrian texted. _We need to leave soon._

I replied that I'd be home soon, confused about his impatient mood. It wasn't unusual for Adrian to be impatient, but he wasn't usually this pushy about it. Especially when he knew I was busy.

"I have to go," I said, following them up to the cash register to pay for the lingerie. "Adrian's in a rush for some reason."

"That's okay," Lissa said, paying for her purchases. "I have to get back, too. Although I do want to swing by the Food Court for a pretzel."

Rose laughed. "I want a cheesesteak. I'm starving."

I wrinkled my nose. "I'll gladly skip out on watching you devour a cheesesteak." I gave Jill a hug and then waved to Rose and Lissa. "See you guys later!"

"Bye," they all chorused as I walked away.

And then Rose had to go and say, "Have fun," in that suggestive way of hers.

###

I smirked as I watched Sydney walk away. "He's going to love that gift," I murmured to myself.

"You do know you're now going to have to live with the consequences of that gift, don't you?" Rose asked.

I snorted a laugh. "I've had to witness all of Adrian's fantasies about her for the past year. Sydney in the library, Sydney on the hood of his car, Sydney covered in paint. And Adrian can be very... creative. Ew!" I shook my head and cringed just thinking about it. "The real thing isn't nearly as bad as his dreams. I can block the two of them out when they're actually together."

Lissa scrunched her nose up in disgust and shook her head. "It's got to suck to get sucked into someone else's love life."

Rose laughed at her expression. "Like you're one to talk! Do you know how many times I had to see you and Christian—"

"Don't finish that sentence, Rose!" Lissa demanded, but she was laughing.

My phone buzzed and I glanced down to see it was a text from Adrian. He'd finally responded to the text I'd sent him a few minutes ago.

_Thank u!_

I laughed at his enthusiastic response. I'd sent a picture I'd secretly snapped of the lingerie Sydney bought. I'd also sent the words _Happy Birthday_. Yeah, Adrian and I might have had some boundary issues, but could you blame me? I mean, I was bonded to the guy.

_You're welcome_, I replied. _Just please try your hardest to block me out tonight. I really don't want to have to see Sydney wearing that thing._

_Or worse_, I thought, _not wearing it._

My phone buzzed again immediately.

_U got it Jailbait. Best birthday gift ever btw. Just don't know who gets credit for it. U or her?_

I laughed and shoved my phone back in my pocket, following Rose and Lissa into the Food Court.


	7. Present

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Omg. Another trailer for TIS released today and wow! Adrian is super passionate (and angry) in it. These trailers are absolute torture, but I love them! Have you seen it? What did you guys think?**

**Anyway, this one shot is for Lissa who suggested that Sydney freak out over the calories of Christmas dinner. I took that idea and ran with it. Hope you enjoy it Lissa! Review and let me know what you guys think :)**

"Hey, Sage," Adrian greeted as I walked into the living room at Clarence's. Jill, Eddie and Angeline filed in behind me, bags of presents in their hands, and began placing the gifts around Clarence's Christmas tree. "You want to come shopping with me? There are still a couple of things I've got to pick up."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Adrian, it's Christmas Eve. Why on earth would you wait until now to do your shopping?"

"Perfection can't be rushed, Sage. And when Adrian Ivashkov gives a gift, it's always perfect," he said completely serious.

I sighed in exasperation. He was always saying egotistical things like that. The worst part was I was about ninety percent certain he believed every word he said.

"It's already six," I commented. "Most of the stores are already closed."

"We'll find something," he insisted. "Palm Springs didn't shut down just because Santa Claus is coming to town." He paused, looking thoughtful. It almost pained me to admit his already handsome features looked even better when he made his thoughtful face. "I'm pretty sure most of the people who live here are on the naughty list anyway."

Surprisingly enough, Clarence, who was sitting on the couch, said, "Oh, just go with the boy. He'll only pester you until you give in."

I let out a startled laugh, my gaze meeting Adrian's. He smirked, amusement in his eyes.

"Even the old man knows me, Sage. I'm persistent. You should know that by now."

"I prefer to call it stubborn," I mumbled, causing Adrian to laugh. I threw my hands up in the air. "Fine. Fine, let's go."

As we walked to the door Adrian squeezed my shoulder. When I turned to look at him he was smiling sincerely. "Thanks, Sydney."

###

As we drove into downtown Palm Springs, Adrian chatted about how excited he was to give Jill her present, even though she already knew what she was getting because of the psychic bond they shared. He told me what he'd gotten for Eddie, Angeline, Clarence, and even Dorothy.

"So," I asked feeling confused. "What else did you have to get? Sounds to me like you've already finished your shopping."

Adrian pulled the car over—and parallel parked like a pro, I was seriously impressed—before cutting the engine. We'd pulled up in front of a restaurant with twinkling white lights strung up in the windows. He smiled sheepishly at me from the driver's seat before hopping out of the car. I watched as he walked around the car and handed the keys to a valet before opening my door and offering his hand to me. I took it and let him help me to my feet, but I still had no idea why we were here.

"I may have told you a slight fib," Adrian said hesitantly, but I could see the mischievous gleam in his eyes. He was enjoying this. "We're not going shopping, we're having dinner. Here." He gestured to the beautiful oak doors of the restaurant. They were decorated in lights and garland for Christmas, but you could still tell they must have cost a fortune. It was one of the most expensive restaurants in Palm Springs and Adrian was taking me there for dinner?

"But we're supposed to be having dinner at Clarence's," I pointed out even though he already knew that.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "Jill's already told them that we'll just grab dinner while we're shopping. This is your present. Or, actually I want to give you your present here. Dinner is more my present."

"But I don't have your present with me," I said, starting to feel panicked. What did he get me? I hadn't really expected anything from him, even though I probably should have. I'd gotten him one of those little Hawaiian Hula girls that sit on the dashboard of cars. He'd commented a few weeks ago about how he'd always wanted one of those, so I'd gone online to track one down. But that was just a small gift. What could he possibly be giving me that he had to do it at a restaurant instead of at Clarence's with the others around?

Adrian smiled and put his hand on the small of my back, leading me into the restaurant. "Don't worry about it, Sage. I've got something else I want you to give me tonight."

My eyes must have bugged out of my head at the meaning his words implied. "_What?_"

He shut his eyes and shook his head. "Sorry. That came out a lot worse than I meant it. I just meant I want you to trust me tonight, alright?" He pulled open the door and let me walk in first. "Do you trust me?"

I studied him for a moment, his features, the glow in his green eyes. I'd always trusted him.

"Of course," I said quietly, allowing him to lead me further into the restaurant.

###

"You said you trusted me," he said from behind his menu.

"I do," I argued. "But this is different. I can't eat this—"

"Eat what?" He lowered his menu to the table, his green eyes challenging me. "I haven't even made a suggestion yet."

"Yes, but I know you. You'll have me eating deep fried Oreos dipped in chocolate if I let you have a say."

"Sage," he chided. "I don't know what types of establishments you're used to visiting, but this is a classy place. I don't think deep fried Oreos are on the menu. Although, if you'd like one I'm sure I can get someone to..." He trailed off when he noticed the murderous look on my face.

He wanted me to let him order my food for me. That wasn't about to happen so he was being "persistent" about it.

"Look," he said, leaning across the table and wrapping his fingers around mine. Our relationship was still on shaky ground and I probably shouldn't encourage him by letting him hold my hands in public, but I didn't want to pull away. "I came here a few days ago and talked to the chef. I must have looked like a crazy person, trying to calculate the calories in every meal on the menu. I know exactly what to order you, exactly what you'll enjoy, all I'm asking is you trust me."

I felt myself caving at his pleading look. I couldn't believe he'd planned this out. Couldn't believe he'd put that much effort into taking me out to dinner. _A date_, I corrected myself. This was date. We'd gone out to dinner together one other time, but that had been more of a casual thing. This? There was nothing casual about this. Did I really want to ruin the night he'd worked so hard to plan for me?

It was just one dinner. And it was Christmas Eve, after all. I could work the calories off after Christmas...

"Okay," I said, nodding to myself. "Okay, I trust you."

Adrian smiled. "Yeah? Okay."

When the waiter came over to take our orders Adrian ordered for me and then himself. He even ordered dessert for after dinner. That was his gift, he said. He'd gotten something called a Volcano Fudge Brownie that I wanted nothing to do with but I'd bit my tongue, remembering that I'd promised to trust him.

True to his word, he'd gotten me a low calorie dinner that was as delicious as it was healthy. He, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to make up for my healthy meal by eating a plateful of fat. I had to admit that the fried potato wedges that came with his sirloin steak did look good, though.

We chatted some more over dinner, the conversation flowing as easily as it ever did with him. When the Volcano Fudge Brownie came I was a little disappointed that dinner was almost over.

The brownie had two forks in it and Adrian didn't hesitate to grab one and take a huge mouthful. Staring at the gooey chocolate melting on the plate, I had second thoughts about trusting Adrian to plan my meal. He'd done good with the entree, but even a quarter of this brownie would kill my daily caloric intake.

"Two bites, Sage," Adrian said from his side of the table. "Two bites and I won't bother you anymore."

I picked up my fork and used it to cut through the soft chocolate, but didn't lift it to my mouth. Instead, I tried bringing up a topic I'd been dying to know about since we walked in as a distraction. "You said that you had a gift for me, but it wasn't the dinner. You haven't given me anything, though."

Adrian smiled and took another bite of brownie before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small package wrapped in purple wrapping paper with white snowflakes on it. I stared at it trying to think of what it could be. It had to be jewelry, I decided, but what kind? I didn't wear a lot of jewelry and he knew that. I reached for it when he held it out towards me, but he snatched it back at the last second.

"Take a bite first," he said at my incredulous look.

I took a bite of the brownie—and, oh God, was it delicious!—before he gave me my gift. I carefully unwrapped the purple paper, wondering if he had wrapped it himself or if he'd had it done professionally. Once the wrapping paper was off a small blue leather box sat in the palm of my hand. My heart beat a little more rapidly, afraid and excited about the box's contents.

"Open it," Adrian said gently. I looked up to see a small smile softening his features as he looked back at me.

With a deep breath, I opened the box and stared down at the small silver cross that lay inside. I picked it up and gave it a closer look, turning it around in my fingers. It was simple and plain, much like the gold one I was currently wearing, except for a small engraving on the back. It wasn't in any language I spoke, but I immediately knew it was like the hieroglyphs that decorated the silver stakes the damphirs used to kill Strigoi. I smoothed my thumb over the engraving, feeling the power pulse under my touch. Had he spirit charmed this?

"What is this?" I asked, in awe of the simple yet beautiful gift, despite my misgivings about it being charmed.

"It's just got a little power in it," he said, reaching over to touch the necklace. His fingers brushed mine and I felt a spark shoot up my arm. "It's not compulsion or anything, just stored spirit power. I wanted you to... to have a piece of me with you." He laughed and shrugged. "This was a lot less creepy than the lock of my hair I was going to give you."

I laughed too, but I couldn't stop staring at the cross. It was beautiful and it contained a part of Adrian's magic, his spirit, and he was giving it to me. I wasn't sure if I should be creeped out by the idea of wearing vampire magic around my neck, or elated that he'd given it to me in the first place.

"Do you like it?" Adrian whispered. He sounded almost shy asking the question.

I met his gaze and said, "I love it."

It was true. I loved it. Whatever that meant about me, I loved that Adrian had given me a piece of himself. That he'd wanted to give me a part of himself to keep close to my heart. And the cross he'd chosen to charm was beautiful and exactly the kind of thing I'd pick out for myself.

Adrian grinned from ear to ear and walked around the table to help me put the necklace on. His fingers brushed the nape of my neck as he fastened the chain and shivers ran down my spine.

"Thank you," I whispered, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze before he could go back to his seat. "I mean it. I love this."

"I'm glad," he said, leaning down towards me.

I should have pulled back, we were in public, but I didn't. I couldn't. I reached up and guided his lips to mine, closing my eyes and just enjoying the feel of his kiss. When we finally pulled away from each other he took his seat across from me once again.

"One more bite, Sage," he said, smiling. "You promised."

I grinned, fingering the silver cross around my neck. "I did promise," I agreed, picking up the fork and taking another bite.


	8. The Talk

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This one shot is actually a companion to chapter 19 in Of Magic and Misery. If you read that story you'll want to check out that chapter first. If you don't read it then you can still read this one shot. It's about Rose apologizing to Adrian for everything that happened between them.**

**Review and let me know what you think!**

I had to admit, I really wasn't expecting Rose Hathaway to drag me away from the dance floor tonight. It was Sonya and Mikhail's wedding and our whole group was attending. I'd been talking to Eddie while he watched Jill and Angeline dance with Sonya and her cousin.

Rose had smiled—although it looked almost painfully strained—and asked me to talk to her in private for a few minutes. As we walked outside into the frigid, winter air I kept thinking about how I might have felt if this were happening a few months ago. Before Sydney.

I probably would have ignored her and taken another sip of whatever the cocktail server had on her tray. Or maybe I would have blown up at her again, the way I'd done after Tasha had confessed to killing my aunt and Rose had finally recovered from a near fatal injury. A part of me had known how big of an asshole I'd been to her. I shouldn't have yelled at her like that, I'd never yelled at anyone like that before. Ever. But I'd felt so stupid after seeing her and Dimitri together. So used, so... unwanted. I'd taken it all out on her when I knew I was at least partially to blame. After all, I did know how she felt about Dimitri. It wasn't like that had been a surprise.

"So," I said once we were away from the comfort of the warm, glowing greenhouse. I pulled my suit jacket closed, trying to stay warm. "What do you want to talk about?"

Rose faltered for a second and I raised an eyebrow in astonishment. Rose Hathaway was nervous, because of me. "I was just talking to Sydney," she said finally.

And suddenly I was nervous.

Had she said something about me? About us? Was Rose about to grill me for dating a human? Was that what this was about?

"She sort of put me in my place," Rose went on. She laughed to herself. "Who would have guessed Sydney would be the one to do it?"

I smiled. "Anyone who's ever met Sydney," I told her, even though it had obviously been a rhetorical question.

She looked nervous again. "Yeah. Look, Adrian... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you."

She stuttered awkwardly over her apology and I felt kind of bad for her. I wasn't really that angry anymore and this was obviously taking a lot for her to say, so I decided to cut her a break.

"It's okay," I said. "I knew you were in love with Dimitri and I continued to ignore it long after I should have."

"I do love him," she said. "But that's not an excuse for what I did. I shouldn't have let things happen that way. I should have ended things with you before I let anything start with Dimitri. I'm sorry that I handled everything so badly."

I smiled a little. "You know, Rose, I was really mad for a long time. Playing the victim, as you said. But I'm not anymore. Don't beat yourself up too much about it. Honestly, I probably would have done the same thing if it had been... me. Let's just get over it already, okay? Friends?"

I held out a hand to her, accepting her apology, hoping she still thought of me as her friend. I'd missed her, I really had. I'd always liked Rose, aside from being attracted to her. I wasn't a hundred percent over what she'd done, but I was getting there. And, really, how could I stay angry with her when I would have done the same thing. When I told her that, I'd almost said if it were Sydney. I caught myself at the last second, but the intention was still there. I probably would have cheated on Rose with Sydney if we'd been in the same situation.

You know, if Sydney was that kind of girl.

"Friends," Rose smiled, taking my hand and shaking it. We grinned at each other, both happy we weren't fighting anymore. Standing there with her I realized how much I would hate it if we couldn't be friends again.

Rose looked uncomfortable for a moment, like she was debating her next words. But then she put on that guardian mask of her's and smirked.

"So, I'm going to have to start using my toes to count all of the times I caught you staring at Sydney tonight."

She'd said it lightly, but I knew she hadn't meant it that way. She was too damn observant for her own good. I went along with the light tone anyway.

"Well, have you seen her in that dress?" I joked. "I bet even you've checked her out a few times."

She smiled. "She does look good in that dress. Gold definitely suits her."

I couldn't help myself. I pictured the way Sydney looked tonight, all decked out in gold, her aura shimmering around her, looking as radiant as the sun, and smiled softly. "You have no idea how right you are."

"But she's human, Adrian," Rose said softly. "And an Alchemist. Don't you even care how wrong that is?"

"The past couple of months all I keep hearing about is how wrong everything is. Well, you know what?" I said, starting to feel angry. What right did Rose have to tell me right from wrong, anyway? "The most right I have ever felt in my whole life is when I'm with Sydney!"

"Adrian," Rose sighed. "She's not even close to your type. She wears pant suits with three inch heels. And the first time you saw her I believe you called her uptight. What could you possibly have in common with her?"

I remembered back to the first time I'd seen Sydney. It had been at Court while she was getting grilled for helping Rose. How things had changed since then.

"First of all, khakis with a blazer does not equal a pant suit. It's casual professional," I said deadpan, raising one finger in the air. "Besides, the heels are sexy. Kind of like a naughty librarian thing." I dropped my hand and looked at Rose seriously. "And secondly, I might have erred in my initial impression of her. I've had a lot of time to get to know her since then. And Sydney and I have everything in common. We're both lost in the worlds we were born into, desperately trying to figure out who we are and where we belong."

Rose looked like she wanted to roll her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but I kept going before she got a chance.

"And third," I continued, "how is a smart, funny, brave, attractive woman who likes architecture and cars and is the human equivalent of an encyclopedia not my type? At the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy here, to know Sydney is to love Sydney. And I know Sydney better than anyone."

"The point remains, Adrian," she said, not looking affected by my speech in the slightest. "She's human and you're Moroi. She's an Alchemist! How do you think this is going to play out for you?"

"You don't know the half of it, Little Damphir," I said, pulling my hands up to my mouth and blowing on them. It was really cold out here. How long was she planning on arguing with me for, anyway? "If the Alchemists find out about us they'll–"

"Us?" Rose demanded, cutting me off. She looked stunned. "This…this thing is mutual?"

"It is possible for a girl to actually like me, you know," I said, feeling slightly offended. But Rose wasn't listening to me. She was pacing back and forth, plodding a trench in the packed snow.

"How could this happen? It's ridiculous." She shook her head incredulously, her long, brown hair drifting over her shoulders. "Sydney knows better. She wouldn't. She's seen how the Keepers live. We agreed that it wasn't right."

"Sometimes love defies what's conventionally right or wrong and has to forge its own way," I said quietly. She still wasn't listening though.

"Are you sure she even knows about it?" she asked. "Sydney can be naive about things. Are you sure she doesn't just think you're friends?"

"She's not that naive," I said, feeling offended for Sydney. "But even if she were, I'm pretty sure even Sydney knows that sticking your tongue in someone's mouth crosses the line of mere friends."

She glanced up at me, her face twisted into an irritated expression I would have once found cute. "I'm going to talk to her," she said, turning and heading for the green house.

"No!" I said, moving to block her. "Rose, leave her alone. She doesn't need you berating her for the way she feels. She gets that enough from everyone else. You're supposed to be her friend."

"I _am_ her friend," she argued, dodging me. "I'm your friend, too. And I'm only trying to save you both from the mistake you're making."

"Why is it a mistake?" I demanded, but she ignored me.

I grabbed her wrist and she spun around to face me. She looked pissed, and a pissed Rosemary Hathaway was something no one wanted to deal with, but I wasn't going to back down.

"Leave her alone," I said through a clenched jaw. "I don't want to have to compel you to forget everything I just told you, but so help me, Rose. I will."

She froze, her eyes narrowing. I was almost positive she was going to kick my ass and leave me broken and bleeding out here in the cold while she went inside and destroyed my relationship, but she didn't. Instead she shook off my hand and said, "You wouldn't."

I stood up straight, looking down at her. In the most deadly earnest tone I could manage I said, "I would. For her, I would do anything."

She looked unsure of me, like she was seeing me for the first time. I quirked my lips up into a smirk, hoping to ease the tension. "Even risk an epic ass kicking."

She weighed me with her gaze for another few moments before sighing. "I don't agree with this, and I think you're only setting yourself up for heartache, but you're serious about this, so I won't talk to her. Just yet."

"That's all I'm asking, Rose," I said. "Sleep on it. Talk to her about me all you want tomorrow, once you're not in a rush-in-and-think-later kind of mood. Sydney's having a hard enough time right now. Don't put your bigotry on her, too."

"_Bigotry_?" Rose demanded. She sounded mad, but I just raised an eyebrow at her. Bigotry was the exact definition of the reason she didn't want me and Sydney together, and from the way she bit her bottom lip she knew I was right. "Fine. I'll calm down and talk to her about it tomorrow."

I gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Rose gave me one last look, a look that felt like she was trying to see directly into my thoughts. Finally the corner of her mouth turned up in the faintest trace of a smile. "She was right," she said. "You have changed."

Then, without another word, she walked back toward the warmth of the green house and the party.


	9. Drunk

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This one's in honor of New Year's and features a drunk and jealous Sydney! Doesn't really sound much like her, but I think it works in this scenario. Also I used two quotes from The Indigo Spell in here, just because they ended up fitting sort of perfectly. Review and let me know :)**

**And Happy New Year's!**

There are a lot of benefits to being friends with Rose Hathaway. She's fierce and loyal and funny and caring. But she can also be a little demanding at times. Usually I don't have a problem telling her when to back off, but tonight was, apparently, an exception.

New Year's Eve is a time to party with friends and ring in a new beginning with people you love, not a time to mope in the corner, according to Rose anyway. I was perfectly happy mopping in the corner. Well, not happy, exactly. I hadn't really been happy in a while. Not since... not since before Adrian had kissed me.

It was painful to think about the last few months. At first Adrian had been rude and I'd been miserable, not to mention angry with him for ruining our friendship for something as stupid as a kiss! But then he'd decided that approach wasn't working, so he started being nice to me again. And on the outside it was like nothing had happened between us, but I knew something had. The ordinariness of our relationship was even worse than the anger had been. It was like, he was right there. He was the Adrian I enjoyed being around, the Adrian I liked, but I couldn't be normal back. I couldn't let myself fall back into the patterns we'd already forged. He loved me. I knew it, he knew it, and I couldn't ever let myself forget.

Mostly I stayed away from him. I was cordial and everything when we were together, but I couldn't go back to the way things had been. I guess he'd had enough of that though. He'd told me once that he wouldn't bother me anymore unless I wanted him to, and he'd stuck to that promise. Mostly, anyway. Adrian was always a little irksome, no matter what.

Her also told me that he didn't care if it was hopeless, he'd just keep on loving me anyway. When I suggested he needed to move on, he'd inferred that he wasn't going to. Apparently, _that_ was a promise he wasn't sticking to anymore.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. He hadn't actually promised those things, I reminded myself. And it wasn't like I'd ever wanted him to. I'd told him to move on. Told him he was wasting his time.

So why did it hurt so much to see him with someone else?

I shook my head again, trying my hardest not to look at the couple laughing across the room. There were a lot of people at this party, mostly Royal Moroi around our age, but I could still spot him through the crowd. He was wearing a crisp black suit, a neatly pressed white linen shirt underneath his jacket. His purple tie was crooked, though. It was loose and the red head he was with was tugging on it, leading him to the dance floor.

I forced myself to look away.

Just in time, too, because Rose strolled up and took a seat beside me, a champagne glass in each hand.

"I'm not going to tell you again, Sydney," she said sternly. She seemed a little buzzed though. "Get up and have fun or I'm going to make you."

"How many of those have you had?" I asked, pointing to the glasses in her hand. However many it had been, I was fairly certain she didn't need two more.

"A few." She shrugged her shoulders and her hands went up too, causing the champagne to come dangerously close to spilling all over her pretty black dress.

Maybe pretty was the wrong word.

Sexy black dress.

She'd gotten tonight off—the first time in months, she said—so she was taking the opportunity to live it up. Dimitri was off tonight as well, and the two had been all over each other on the dance floor. So were Sonya and Mikhail. And Eddie, Angeline and Jill were dancing. Everyone I knew—even the queen, Lissa, and her boyfriend, Christian—was having a good time. Meaning I had no one to talk to over here. Jill and Angeline had tried to get me to dance a few times, but I couldn't. I didn't dance to this type of music.

"That's it," Rose said, thrusting one of the glass flutes into my hand. "Drink that and then we'll have some fun."

"I don't drink. You know that." I started to put the glass down on the table, but Rose leaned over and grabbed my hand.

"Drink it," she demanded. A sly look passed over her face and then she released me and sat back. "Drink it or maybe I'll just have to tell Adrian that you're sitting over here crying over him."

My eyes widened and I sputtered. "You... You wouldn't! I am not crying. Over him. I'm not!"

"By all means," Rose said, standing up and facing the dance floor. She made a show of looking around, as if searching for someone. "Don't drink it and find out."

"Rose," I said quietly. Apparently my pride had gone right out the window. "Don't. You can't."

"Drink it," she said again with every ounce of conviction she had. "I will not let one of my best friends sit in the corner by herself on New Year's Eve. Dance with me, or with Dimitri, or with Jill! Please?"

Her wide brown eyes were practically begging me to have fun. It was like she couldn't enjoy herself properly unless she knew I was alright. I wasn't alright, but I could give her this, right? One drink wasn't so bad. It was just champagne.

I lifted the flute to my lips and took a sip. It was bubbly and made me feel like I wanted to sneeze a little, but I didn't. I couldn't even if I'd wanted to. When I'd tried to take the glass away from my mouth Rose had pushed up, leaving me with two options. Let the bubbly liquid spill all over my new black satin dress, or drink it.

I drank it. All of it.

"There you go," Rose smiled at me. She grabbed the other champagne flute off the table and handed it to me. "You can sip this one slower. I just wanted to make sure you had at least one glass."

I glared at her. "Maybe you really are evil," I muttered, causing her to laugh.

"I won't stay and bug you," she said. "But please get up and go have fun? For me?"

I nodded, agreeing, but didn't really mean it. "I will. Just let me finish this drink." I raised the glass and scowled at her again. Rose just chuckled and wandered off, probably to find Dimitri.

I sat there for a little while, sipping at the champagne just to have something to do. The first glass hadn't hit me too bad, I guessed, because I didn't feel slow or groggy at all. I was just finishing up when I heard Adrian's voice ring out above the music. He was laughing at something the red head said. I could just see him through the other couples on the dance floor.

Oh no. He was coming this way.

Quickly, I downed the rest of the champagne and stood, dodging people as I made my way around the dance floor. Going in the opposite direction of Adrian and his date. I grabbed another glass of champagne as I passed a server with a tray full of them.

How could he do that to me? How could he show up at a party he knew I was attending with some girl? He had no right to do that! Since he'd told me he loved me I hadn't dated anyone else! Not that I usually dated anyone at all, but still. It was about respect. I respected his feelings for me, I just didn't reciprocate.

I took a long sip of the bubbly drink and silently fumed.

He said he loved me. Loved me enough to wait and hope I'd love him back one day. Yeah. Right.

Some part of me knew how irrational it was to be angry at Adrian for dating. I'd told him to. It was what I wanted. I couldn't be with him, so why should he be alone? It was only fair he be allowed to date someone else. But in that moment I didn't feel like being fair. I felt like being mad. Like being furious.

I was so furious with Adrian that I didn't notice when I bumped into someone. I spilled some of my drink onto his blue silk shirt.

"Whoa," the guy said, reaching out to steady me.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized. I handed him my glass and wiped my hand over the wet spot on his shirt. I wasn't sure what I expected to accomplish doing that, but it seemed better than doing nothing.

I felt, more than heard the guy chuckle, my hand still stroking his chest and all. Suddenly embarrassed, I pulled my hand away and looked up at the man I'd walked into. He was tall with hair that was a mix between blonde, brown, and red. I couldn't think of what that color was called at the moment. His eyes were blue, though. So blue. They matched his shirt.

"Hi." He smiled down at me, his hand still gripping my elbow to steady me.

I smiled back, trying to be polite. This guy was a Moroi. A Moroi I didn't know, but for some reason that didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

"I'm sorry," I said again. "I didn't see you..."

"It's okay," the guy said, still smiling. His blue eyes crinkled a little at the corners in a cute way. In fact, this guy was very cute. Hot, even. Not as hot as Adrian, but still.

No! No. I wasn't going to think about Adrian.

My anger came back then. I glanced around, looking for Adrian and the horrible red head he was with. He probably left with her. He was probably...

I felt sick.

"Are you okay?" the guy asked. When I looked back up at him he was watching me with concern. Probably worried I'd puke on his shoes.

"I'm fine," I said. I was fine. I was going to be fine. I didn't need Adrian. I didn't want Adrian. "Just drank champagne a little too fast, I guess."

The guy nodded like he knew what I meant. "I'm Jesse, by the way," he said, letting go of my elbow and holding his hand out for me to shake.

I took it and shook, feeling steadier now. "Sydney."

Jesse smiled and leaned down closer to me. "What do you say we go get you another drink, seeing as you spilled most of this one on my shirt?"

I shook my head. "I don't drink," I said.

Jesse looked amused. "You could have fooled me. Let me get you one drink," he said. "It's the least you could do after ruining my favorite shirt."

I didn't really want another drink. I suddenly felt really dizzy. But he was right, I did ruin his shirt. And one more drink couldn't hurt. I'd take a sip or two and that would be that.

"Okay, sure," I said, smiling up at him.

Jesse guided me through the mass of party goers with his hand on my lower back. He took me to the bar and let me squeeze in in front of him so I could see the bartender. He ordered two shots of something, I wasn't sure what, but I watched as the bartender took out a bottle of clear liquor followed my a can of Coke and a bottle of something that smelled like coffee even from across the bar.

"I don't know about this," I said to Jesse, even though I was slightly intrigued by the coffee smelling liquid.

"No worries," he laughed. His hand was still on my back and I shifted a little to try to dislodge it. "Just one shot. I promise it tastes good."

The bartender slid the shots over and Jesse grabbed them, handing one to me. After watching him down his I felt a little bit like a wuss for not wanting to drink mine.

"Come on," he urged. His hands reached out and grabbed my waist to turn me to face him. "It'll be fine."

Would it be fine? Adrian was off with some girl, doing God knows what. And I was stuck at a party where all of my friends were busy having fun, where everyone was having fun, except for me. How whiney was I? I wanted to have fun too. I should have fun. I'm sure Adrian's little girlfriend would do the shot.

I raised the glass to my lips and tipped my head back the same way Jesse had done. Ahh! It burned its way down my throat and for one brief moment I thought I might actually throw up all over Jesse's shoes. I coughed a few times and Jesse patted my back.

"Never had tequila before, huh?" He laughed.

"I don't—" I coughed again. "I don't drink. I said that."

"Well, there's a first time for everything." He smiled at me and his hand went back to my waist. "It'll kick in in a second." He looked behind me and then asked the bartender for two more shots. This time he just ordered the tequila straight up.

I started to protest but then my head felt funny. Like my head was heavy, but at the same time was light enough to float away. It was also getting harder to remember why I didn't want the drink he was offering.

Jesse drank his shot, but pushed mine away when I reached for it. "Let's give you a couple of minutes to get your drinking legs under you, alright? Don't want you passing out or anything."

I nodded, feeling like I was going to tip over. Jesse's hands on my hips seemed like the only thing keeping me from swaying. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. I should probably go find Rose or somebody...

I looked up to see if I could find any of my friends in the crowd but Jesse was too close. I couldn't see around him. In fact, he was much closer than I had been expecting. He was smiling at me, his blue eyes still crinkled in the corners. His bronze hair fell over his forehead in a way that—

"Your hair is bronze!" I laughed, finally remembering the word.

Jesse laughed too. His warm breath hit my face and it didn't smell like the alcohol he'd just ingested. He smelled fresh, like mints. "And your hair is blonde." He reached out and twirled a strand around his finger. "I've always had a bit of a thing for blondes, you know."

His fingers released the blonde lock he'd been holding and instead buried themselves in my hair. He leaned in, pulling me closer at the same time. It took me longer than it should have to realize what was happening, but even when I realized what he was doing all I could do was widen my eyes in shock as his lips moved closer to mine.

Before he could close the small space between us he disappeared. Well, he didn't disappear, I guess. That wasn't possible, or logical, considering I could still see him. He was just further away from me now. His hands at my waist were gone and I stumbled, knocked off balance by his sudden departure. I grabbed onto the bar behind me in order to stay on my feet.

It took a moment for my alcohol soaked brain to process what had happened. To realize that Jesse hadn't moved away of his own accord. To notice Adrian standing next to him, unconcealed rage on his face. Adrian had ripped Jesse away from me.

"What the _hell_?" Jesse yelled, spinning around and pushing Adrian off of him.

"Exactly!" Adrian yelled back, causing me to wince. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Zelkos?"

Jesse backed up a step and straightened his now crumpled—along with wet—shirt. "I was having some fun with a feeder. Jeez. I didn't know you were the party police."

Adrian made a growing sound at Jesse's sarcasm. Or... no. He wasn't mad because of the party police comment, it was because of the word _feeder_. Even as buzzed as I felt, a shudder still ran through me at the word. Jesse thought I was a feeder.

"She's not a feeder, you dumb ass!" Adrian yelled, pushing Jesse away from me again. "She's an Alchemist. You didn't notice the gold lily on her cheek? Or are you just too fucking stupid to know what an Alchemist is?"

My eyes were wide as I watched Adrian scream. He pushed Jesse again and the other boy backed up, his hands in the air like he was surrendering. He looked slightly astonished that Adrian was acting that way. Everyone at the bar was watching them. I turned to look at the rest of the room and it looked like almost everyone at the party was watching them. I thought I saw Rose on the other side of the room, her eyes like saucers and her mouth hanging open. On second thought, it was definitely Rose. She was standing with a humongous guy with long brown hair who could only be Dimitri.

I turned my head back to the fight in front of me and let go of the bar. I took a step forward, trying to reach Adrian before he did something stupid, but I was unsteady on my feet and had to grab onto the person next to me for support.

"Adrian," I called, hoping to get his attention.

The second I spoke Adrian turned away from Jesse and looked at me. When he saw me, wobbly and gripping the sleeve of some strangers jacket so I wouldn't fall, he rushed to my side.

"Are you okay?" He asked, but kept talking so I figured I didn't need to respond. "Come here. Let's get you out of here. The cold air will help sober you up a little."

I nodded and exchanged my grip on the stranger for Adrian's arm around my waist. He started to lead me away from the bar when I heard Jesse say, "What a dick! I thought you were cool, Ivashkov!"

Adrian muttered something under his breath, but I couldn't hear it over the steady murmur of the crowd. It was then that I realized someone had stopped the music when the fight broke out. Thank God it didn't escalate passed a shoving match. I remembered the look in Adrian's eye, the unbridled anger he'd had when he looked at Jesse, and knew that I wouldn't have been able to stop him if it had come to blows.

The music started again just as Adrian escorted me outside onto a terrace. It was cold and I didn't have a coat on so Adrian settled me onto a stone bench and then shrugged out of his suit jacket. He sat next to me, pulling the jacket tight around my shoulders. His hands rubbed a trail up and down my arms a few times, trying to generate heat to keep me warm.

I bit my lip and dared to glance up at him. His green eyes met mine for the first time tonight, for the first time in what felt like months, and held like glue. He lifted his hand, hesitating a moment before brushing my bangs out of my face.

"How much did you have to drink, Sage?" he asked softly.

I thought about it, my head feeling slightly less heavy then it had before. "I don't know. Two glasses of champagne. Two and half. And a shot of... I don't know. Tequila, I think? And something that smelled like coffee."

Adrian smiled a little, his fingers still on my cheek. "It's Kahlua, Sage. Packed with sugar and coffee flavor."

I sighed. Great. How many calories had my little drinking binge cost me?

"That was a lot for you," Adrian said, looking concerned. "You've never drank before and you weigh, what? Like a hundred pounds?"

"A hundred and thirteen," I muttered, still worrying about calories.

Adrian ignored my tone.

"You're going to have a killer hangover in the morning, but you'll be alright." He paused, seeming to consider something. "If you let me, I can heal you. It'll clear the alcohol from your system, that way you don't have to—"

"No!" I said adamantly. I shook my head too, but stopped when I almost fell off the bench.

"Okay, okay," Adrian said, steadying me so I didn't topple over. "Forget I said anything. You'll just have to deal with the hangover then."

I rubbed at my eyes with the palms of my hands. I felt clearer, but now I was starting to feel sick.

"You okay?" Adrian asked again. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. I wasn't sure if it was to keep me warm or himself.

I wrapped my fingers around the collar of his shirt and looked up at him.

Why was he here?

I hadn't stopped to think about it when we were inside, but now I did. Shouldn't he be off somewhere with the red head?

"Where's your date?" I asked. My voice sounded bitter and angry to my own ears. Adrian frowned.

"Camille?" he asked, sounding confused. "She left. With her boyfriend. I was only keeping her company until he got off work."

"Really?" I asked, more hope and relief in my voice than I wanted there to be.

Adrian smiled and stroked my cheek again. "Really. You thought I'd have a date? When was the last time you even saw me with another girl?"

"That time in L.A.," I blurted before I could stop myself. I was never drinking again. Alcohol really messes with your sense of self-control.

"When you came and picked me up," he nodded. "I haven't been with any girl but you since then. I'm not gonna start now. I told you how I felt."

I nodded, tugging on his collar a little. "You love me," I whispered.

He nodded and pulled me closer, forcing me to lean my head back to look him in the eye. His hands trailed a path up and down my back. He was so perfect. So beautiful. He loved me, he protected me, he waited for me even though I had no right to ask him to do it.

I leaned forward and closed my eyes. "I love you," I breathed.

His hands were on my shoulders before I could close the gap between us. My eyes snapped open and I wondered why he was pushing me back.

"You're not _that_ drunk, Sydney," he said softly. He looked sad.

"I'm a little drunk," I countered, pulling him down towards me. He pushed me away again.

"But not drunk enough that you'll forget all of this. You're still going to be embarrassed in the morning." He brushed my bangs behind my ear again. My hair must have fallen out of its clips, I realized.

"I'm already embarrassed," I said, sitting back and trying to decide by feel how bad my hair looked. "I've done nothing but embarrass myself all night long."

Adrian smirked. "I've been embarrassing myself around you for months now, I survived. Your hair's fine, Sage." He grabbed at my hands and lowered them to my lap.

I smiled and closed my eyes. "Thanks. For helping me whenever I need you. Even though I won't—"

"10!" A hundred or so voices shouted from inside the party.

I looked over and saw everyone inside watching the New Year's ball drop on a big screen TV hung on the far wall.

"9! 8! 7!"

Adrian turned my head back to face him, both of his hands finding my cheeks.

"6! 5! 4!"

"I do love you, Sydney," Adrian hurried to say over the counting. "I'm always going to love you, even if you never say it back." He shrugged. "You know, when you're sober."

"3! 2!"

I looked at him and he looked right back at me. His eyes filled with love and sadness and hope and... I didn't know what else. All I knew was that I wanted to make him stop. I wanted him to look at me with happiness, not sadness. And, for the first time ever, with the alcohol in my system, there was no nagging voice telling me not to. Nothing holding me back.

"Adrian, I do—"

"1!"

Before I could finish he leaned forward, my face cupped between both of his palms, and kissed me. My eyes fluttered shut and it was like the first time he'd kissed me all over again. I melted. His lips were soft and firm and I kissed him back with everything I had in me. My hand found his collar again, pulling him closer, before I wrapped both arms around his neck and threaded my fingers through his hair. A cold chill went through me as Adrian's jacket dropped from my shoulders and landed on the bench behind me.

Through the fog of alcohol, or maybe it was the ecstasy of the kiss, I could hear the shouts of _Happy New Year's_ coming from inside. I didn't care. Adrian was kissing me. What else was there to care about?

When we finally pulled away to breathe Adrian picked his jacket up and put it back on my shoulders. The silence spread between us, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I wasn't sure what to say to him. No matter what my body and mind wanted, I knew, deep down, that the two of us couldn't happen. Nothing had changed.

I realized, belatedly, that the mixture of the cold and the kiss had sobered me up a little. It was easier to think now. Easier to rationalize and worry. For a moment, I sort of missed the buzz from the tequila.

"I know," Adrian said, his hand finding mine and giving it a squeeze. "It doesn't change anything. You're still an Alchemist and I'm still Moroi. It's fine. But at midnight on New Year's you're supposed to kiss the person you want to spend the next year with. It's tradition." He gave my fingers another tight squeeze and smiled tenderly down at me. "And I want to spend all of my years with _you_. So I didn't have anyone else to kiss. Look at it as you did me a favor, alright, Sage? You kept me from being alone on New Year's."

He was trying to ward off another freak out. Quell another lecture before I could start. Stop me from running off again.

But I wasn't running anywhere. I probably couldn't run if I'd wanted to.

I squeezed his fingers back and tried for a smile. "You kept me from being alone, too. Or worse," I said thinking back to what had happened inside. That guy Jesse had thought I was a feeder. Who knows what he would have tried to do?

Adrian looked upset for a moment by the mention of Jesse, but shook it off and stood. He helped me up, keeping a tight grip on my hand. For support, he said, because I was still drunk.

"We need to get inside. I think my hair gel's frozen," he said lightly, walking back in the direction of the party.

I pulled back on his hand a little. "I don't want to go back inside," I said quietly. "Can you take me back to my room, please? I don't feel very good."

Adrian nodded and turned us around so we could walk down a set of stone steps that led off the terrace and into the palace gardens.

"We should probably stop and get you some coffee, too," he said, smiling. His fingers were still tightly intertwined with mine and I didn't let go.

"Coffee would be great," I said leaning into him a little and smiling despite the queasy feeling in my stomach.

No one was around to see the two of us together, fingers laced and leaning on each other. And even if they did, what were they going to say?

I was drunk, after all.


	10. Woken

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Happy New Years everybody! So this one is a continuation to Chapter ****6 - Lace. A few of you wanted to see that one continued so I wrote this short as a bit of a sequel. If you remember what happened in that chapter you have a bit of an idea what this one will be like ;)**

**Review and let me know what you think! And don't forget to send in any ideas you have!**

"Adrian," Sydney whispers breathlessly.

She's straddling my hips, leaning forward to kiss my chest. It feels too good and the fact that I can see straight down her... lingerie... is only adding to my sensory overload. I need to calm down or tonight's going to get a lot less fun really fast.

I flip her onto her back, taking control of the situation. I kiss her roughly, loving the way she sighs into my mouth. My hands graze her sides, pushing up the see through black lace.

Oh god, even Jailbait's photo didn't do this garment justice. When Sydney first walked into the bedroom wearing it I nearly passed out. I mean, Adrian Ivashkov has seen his share of sexy lingerie, but seeing Sydney wearing it was something else entirely. She'd demonstrated a confidence that she didn't always show when it came to her sexuality and pushed me down on the bed, climbing on top of me.

I'd closed my eyes, letting her run the show for a little while, but I have to take control back now if I want it to last more than fifteen seconds. She has a power over me most other women don't. No other women, in fact.

I run my hand across her flat abdomen, up over her ribs. I hesitate, unsure if I want to push the thin black fabric out of my way, or leave it. I leave it, for now, bunched over her ribs, my hands wandering back down to her hips.

"Adrian," Sydney whimpers my name again and it's like electric shocks running through my veins. I love it when she's all needy like this. I look up to see her watching me, her chest heaving. I kiss her belly button, letting my tongue dip inside. Her hips buck slightly as she smiles down at me, biting her lip, the look in her eyes daring me touch her.

I love her like this. All wild and free. Who would have known my beautiful, repressed Alchemist could be such a sex kitten in bed? Well, I sort of always assumed she'd be fantastic. She's so damned feisty all the time, it had to spill over into the bedroom.

I kiss her stomach one last time before dipping my head lower...

###

I woke up with a jolt, hot sweat dripping down my back. I was still breathing heavily from all the excitement.

Not my excitement, of course, but Adrian's.

Sydney's little birthday present had clearly gone over well. Not for the first time tonight, I regretted suggesting Sydney get lingerie for Adrian's birthday gift. I really, really wished I hadn't seen that. Voyeurism was totally not my thing.

_Serves me right for going to bed early on a Saturday night_, I thought.

The bond was always harder to block when I was sleeping. I'd wanted to stay up, wait for them to fall asleep before me, but I'd passed out due to sheer boredom.

I picked up my phone and checked the time. 10:30pm. They'd be at it for a while still, judging by what they were doing just a minute ago. I had two choices as far as I could see. One, turn on the TV and wait them out, or two, get dressed and find something to do. It was only 10:30pm, after all. And I did have all of this pent up adrenaline from all of Adrian's birthday activities...

I smiled to myself, thumbing through my contact list.

Maybe Eddie was still up.


	11. Goodbye

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**So Richelle is doing a read along of the Bloodlines series on her blog, going through the books chapter by chapter until TIS come out. So I decided I'd read along with her. It's a lot of fun starting at the beginning and reading it slowly. It lets you pick up things you might have missed the first time around, plus Richelle's talking about each chapter.**

**Hope you like this chapter! I got the idea from rereading chapters 1 & 2 of Bloodlines. Review and let me know :) Also, next couple of chapters of this will involve sexy times and/or small children. But not both at the same time. Yuck!**

"My God, I've missed you," Adrian whispered roughly against my neck and then pulled back to kiss me again.

He lay half on top of me, our legs tangled together, on an uncomfortable bed in some cheap motel in the middle of nowhere. He hadn't stopped kissing me since we'd parted ways with the others and gotten the motel room. Not that I wanted him to. I'd missed him more than I could articulate, so our lack of words was fitting.

It still amazed me that he'd actually come for me, saved me from the hell the Alchemists had condemned me to. I'd known in my heart that he'd never give up on me, but it was hard to imagine Adrian Ivashkov, the lazy, womanizing alcoholic that most people saw him as, coming to my rescue. He and some of his friends—_our_ friends—had helped him break into a reeducation center and get me out. Thankfully, before the Alchemists had enough time for their brainwashing to seep in and corrupt my mind.

But even though their tactics hadn't worked yet, it didn't mean reeducation had been fun. They'd done all sorts of painful and evasive things and I hated them. Hated what they did and why they felt they had the right to do it. Just because I was in love with a vampire. I didn't want anything to do with that group anymore. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible. And as far as I understood, that was the plan.

"So what now?" I asked after I'd caught my breath a little. I wanted to know the specifics of everything. Where, what, when, why, and how.

Adrian leaned up on his elbow and brushed my bangs from my face. "We leave the country," he said, knowing without further explanation that I meant the plan and not what were we going to do now after our prolonged make out session. "Maybe go to South America. Not many Moroi or Alchemists there. Plus, I could hawk my paintings on the street to tourists and you could fix all the local crappy cars. We'll be set for life!"

He smiled at me and I kissed him again. His "plan" for our life wasn't the greatest, but I knew he wasn't serious. At least, not entirely.

"You could do much better than selling your paintings to tourists," I teased.

"Oh, I know," he said with an air of arrogance that I knew was only a defense mechanism. "But I don't want to draw too much attention to us and I figured being an internationally famous artist will get us caught pretty fast. So tourists with fannypacks it is."

I smiled, but my retort died on my lips when I realized something. "You're giving up your life to be with me," I said sadly. "Your friends, your family, your future. You're throwing it all away because of me."

Adrian sighed and ran his fingers over my, unfortunately, still tattooed cheek. "Our friends understand, Sage. And you're my family _and_ my future. Besides, you've already given up everything for me. Now it's my turn."

He bent to kiss me again and I melted into that kiss. I felt like putty, like jelly. Like there was no substance to me at all and I might float away. The past two months had been the worst in my life, but this made up for it. He made everything worthwhile.

After awhile another thought occurred to me. I pulled away and sat up, knowing he wasn't going to like my next request. He sat back against the headboard and watched me fidget with the cheap, stiff sheets.

"I need to see my family," I said. "Or, my mother, really. I need to see her before we... go."

Adrian looked torn. I knew he knew how I was feeling. He hadn't seen his mother since she'd gone to jail. I saw the indecision on his face and knew he wanted to give me what I wanted, but he was also worried about protecting me.

"I don't know, Sage," he said slowly. "It's risky. We can get a message to her saying you're fine, but seeing her..."

"I need to see her, Adrian. She needs to see me," I told him firmly. We could go to whatever third world country he wanted to afterward, but this I wasn't budging on. I _would_ see my mother before we left.

He exhaled sharply, clearly agitated, and somehow I knew it wasn't directed at me, but at our situation. "It's dangerous. Extremely dangerous. If we could even get a message to her to meet us, the Alchemists are probably expecting it. They'd follow her right to us."

I bit my lip. "We have to try. _I_ have to."

A full minute passed before Adrian leaned forward and pulled me back against his chest, wrapping his arms around me. "Okay, Sage. _We'll_ try. But I don't like this at all. I want to put that on record now so in case everything goes to hell I can say I told you so."

I laughed, but we both knew it wasn't entirely a joke. This was dangerous and could get us both in a lot of trouble, but I had to do it. I didn't have a choice, just like I didn't have a choice about who I fell in love with. I needed to see my mom one last time before I disappeared forever.

###

Three days later—and much longer than we should have still been in this country for, according to Adrian—we pulled up in front of an outdoor cafe in a nondescript, black Honda that Adrian had bought this morning from a shady looking man for a few hundred dollars. Adrian put the car in park, but didn't turn off the engine, just in case.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked softly, as I searched for my mother's familiar face among the cafe's patrons. I spotted her, alone at a table in the back where no one would notice us, and began opening the car door.

"Yes. There she is," I said. I turned back and kissed him quickly before hopping out of the car. "Give me five minutes."

I'd taken a whole two steps in my mother's direction when I noticed the man walking towards her. He was tall, with sandy blonde hair and a lily tattoo glimmering on his cheek. My heart nearly stopped when I saw him. He hadn't noticed me yet and I briefly thought about hopping back into the car and telling Adrian to hightail it out of here, until I saw the three styrofoam cups he was carrying.

Three?

I looked around, searching the faces for other lilies, but there were only smiling couples and laughing teens. An old woman sat at a bus stop across the street, knitting. I could find no signs that anyone was watching the two at the table, or that they were waiting for a third party to show up besides me.

"Psst!"

I quickly turned my head, keeping my peripheral vision on the table in the back.

"Why are you just standing there?" Adrian asked through the open car window.

"Because," I whispered knowing he'd hear me, "my dad's here."

There was a long pause from Adrian and then, "Get in the car, Sage. Your mother knows you're fine. Let's just go."

I couldn't blame him for his worry about my father. I was petrified of what him being here meant, but I also couldn't leave without speaking to my parents. They were right there and, whatever his intentions, I wanted to see my father before I disappeared forever. I only wished my sisters were here, too.

"I'll be right back," I told him, ignoring his request. "Four minutes."

I stepped forward, one foot at a time, just trying to remember to breathe as I approached their table. My mother noticed me first and she sucked in a breath at the sight of me. Her eyes filled with tears as she leaped from her seat and threw her arms around me.

"Oh God, Sydney," she cried into my hair. "Oh, thank God! I've been so worried about you." She pulled back to look at my face and I worked hard to keep my own tears in check. There was no time for a breakdown at the moment.

"Those damned Alchemists," she said, her tone seething with hatred. It shocked me a little to hear, but I understood it. It was how I felt. "Did they hurt you? Are you okay? How did you get away? Why did a dhampir boy whisper this address to me in the grocery store yesterday?"

I didn't have time to explain all of that to her. _Oh, well, my vampire boyfriend and I asked Eddie, one of our friends, to stalk you and deliver a cryptic message telling you to be here at this exact time and hope that you showed up._ That would only leave her with a million more questions, so I ignored it.

"I'm fine, Mom," I said instead. My father stood and moved to stand behind my mother, who let me go and moved to the side so I was now standing face to face with my father. "Sir," was all I could think to say.

He watched me with that same cold demeanor he always did. What I saw in his eyes was exactly what I had known would be there, but I'd foolishly let myself hope anyway. He looked angry and disappointed. I watched his eyes take in my jeans and T-shirt with obvious disgust.

"Sydney," was all he said, but it conveyed everything he didn't say. It told me exactly what a failure my father thought I was. A washout. A traitor. A _vamp-lover_.

For a few seconds I just stood there, feeling like the same girl I had been just a few months ago. A girl trapped by her demanding father and the rigid group she was tied to. But I wasn't that girl anymore. Adrian was in the car waiting for me and I was free. We were going to be free.

"I wanted to say goodbye," I said quietly. "I have to go, but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."

"Leave?" Mom said, starting to panic. "What do you mean? Where will you go?" She took my hand and squeezed it tightly. "No. We'll protect you from the Alchemists. Tell her, Jared. Tell her what we said."

Dad just shook his head silently, causing more tears to spill down Mom's cheeks. "I think it's best if she does leave," he finally said.

"_Damn you_!" Mom cursed. "She's your _daughter_! Don't you even care about that?" She stepped away from him, closer to me. "You have no heart. Just like the rest of them," she said, disgust in her voice.

My mouth hung open, shocked by her words. I'd heard my parents fight before, mostly about the Alchemists, but I'd never heard her speak to Dad like that. I was pretty sure Dad hadn't heard anyone speak to him like that either, based on the way his eyes widened.

"It's not that I don't care," he explained, and for the first time in my life, he looked flustered. "But she was sent to reeducation for a reason. It was warranted. She's gotten much too close to those creatures." He made the Alchemist sign of evil against his shoulder before continuing. "She probably had them help her escape the Alchemists' care based on the dhampir that cornered you," he told Mom.

Mom shook her head and opened her mouth to say something, maybe argue back, but she stopped short, her eyes going wide as she noticed something over my shoulder. I spun, fearing a group of men in business suits, lilies glittering on their cheeks, ready to grab me. What I saw was almost as horrifying.

Adrian had gotten out of the car and walked over to where we stood. He was less than five feet away from my parents. Close enough that he had most certainly heard every word my father had said. And probably some my dad hadn't said, he was just that good at reading people.

I watched as my father froze in shock at the sight of a Moroi standing so close in the middle of a crowded public place. A _human_ place. His hand seemed to move to his shoulder on instinct, making the sign of evil for the second time in less than a minute.

"Adrian," I said softly. "Please."

His eyes, hard with anger, moved from my father's terrified face and met mine. He knew I wanted him to get back in the car, but he refused. He shook his head and stood his ground. He even moved closer to me in some male, testosterone-filled show of dominance.

"Sydney," Dad said slowly. "Step away from him." He waved his hand in a gesture that said I needed to come stand by him.

I sighed, wishing Adrian had agreed to let me come here alone.

"Mom, Dad," I said. "This is Adrian." When they didn't immediately relax at the knowledge that I _knew_ this vampire, I added, "It's okay. He's a friend."

Mom recovered first, but then again she was probably more shocked than scared. "This... Is this one of the people who helped you escape?" she asked.

I nodded and Mom relaxed, giving Adrian a tentative smile.

"Thank you," she said kindly. I could hear the sincerity behind her words and knew she truly appreciated him helping me get out of reeducation.

"It's no problem, ma'am," Adrian said, smiling gently. He offered his hand cautiously, aware that my parents might not be up for shaking hands with someone they considered evil. That realization broke my heart, a little.

Mom looked between his face, my face and his hand for a moment, before reaching out to take it. Before she could, though, my father regained his composure and intercepted her. He held her hand tightly, looking at me with a new kind of shock and fear.

"It's true," he whispered. "Isn't it?"

I wasn't sure what he meant, but I had a bad feeling about it. When I didn't respond he continued.

"The Alchemists. They said you... That you'd... gotten... _close_." Every word out of his mouth seemed pained and I felt horrible for it. I knew what he meant now, and I couldn't bare the thought of him knowing. Of him being disgusted. Tears sprang to my eyes and I had to look away.

"What are talking about, Jared?" Mom demanded.

"This... this _monster_ has been taking advantage of our daughter!" Dad's voice was filled with such unconcealed rage that I had to look back up. His face was bright red and he looked on the verge of attacking Adrian. It was the most emotion I'd ever seen from him.

Adrian's face, on the other hand, had gone perfectly blank. He was trying not to yell, but he also looked like he didn't want anyone to see how much my father's words hurt him. Seeing that pain hidden away in his emerald eyes made me feel defensive.

"Adrian has never taken advantage of me," I said. "He would _never_ do that."

"He's that Ivashkov boy, right?" Dad asked. "He's a spirit user. He can make you believe things, mess with your mind." He actually looked almost pleased for a moment. "That's why you're acting like this. He's compelling you to do these things."

"Adrian would _never_ hurt me," I raged. "You want to know who hurt me, Dad? Do you? You want to know what the Alchemists did to me while they had me locked up? Do you want to know about how they strapped me to a table and injected me with mind altering serums until I wasn't sure of my own name? Or how they brought in a Strigoi while I was under and threatened to let him have me? Because this man," I gestured to Adrian, who had stiffened during my speech, "is the one who saved me from all of that! He got me away from your precious Alchemists. And if you think that the man who saved me, the man who loves me more than his own life, is _evil_, than you need to think again."

My dad looked shocked by my outburst, my mother looked sort of proud and Adrian... Adrian had a glimmer in his eye that left me with the impression he wanted to throw me on one of the wrought iron cafe tables and kiss me breathless, but I ignored that and the butterflies it caused.

"We need to go now," I said, calmer now. I turned to Mom and hugged her. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay. They'll come for me. The only chance we have is to disappear."

"We?" Mom asked, her eyes darting to Adrian.

"Yes," I said, looking back at Adrian. "We."

He reached forward and took my hand, lacing our fingers together, getting ready to drag me back to the car.

Dad made a choking noise in the back of his throat when he saw our fingers weaved together like that, but instead of going off on a lecture about how I'd been tempted by evil or whatever, he gave Adrian a deadly look. "If you hurt my daughter I _will_ kill you."

My mouth dropped open. I couldn't have been more shocked if he'd leaned forward and kissed Adrian on the lips. Adrian, for whatever reason, didn't seem to think my father's behavior was all that odd. He gave him a hard look in return and nodded.

"Every time she hurts it's like a piece of me dies inside," Adrian said fervently.

His words caused warmth to spread over my body, from both love that he felt that way and embarrassment that he'd just said that to my father.

The two men continued to stare at each other for so long that I turned to Mom in confusion. She shook her head, silently telling me not to interrupt whatever was going on.

Finally, through gritted teeth, Dad said, "Do you love her?" and I felt my cheeks flame.

"More than I love myself," Adrian said. I imagined him following that comment up with something like, "and if you knew me, you'd know how much I love myself," be he didn't. There was no trace of humor in his eyes right now.

"Then take care of her," Mom said, surprising everyone by stepping forward to pat Adrian's shoulder. "Protect my baby."

"Till my dying breath," Adrian whispered to her, causing her to tear up again.

She stepped forward and hugged me one last time. "He seems like a good boy," she whispered into my ear. "You'll be safe with him."

I pulled back and gave her a reassuring smile. "I know."

To my utter disbelief my father stepped forward and awkwardly wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I hesitated a moment before hugging him back.

"Do you trust him?" he said, not bothering to whisper the way Mom had. Why would he? He knew Adrian could have heard him even if he hadn't been standing close enough to hold my hand.

"Yes," I answered without any hesitation. "I trust him."

"Do you love him?" The words were strained and quiet, but he'd said them clearly enough for me to hear.

Like before, it shocked me that my father would ask such a question. In his eyes Adrian was a monster, why would he care if I loved him? What did it matter if he loved me?

"Yes," I said again, making my voice firm and unwavering. I didn't want him to have any reason to think otherwise.

He released me from the first hug we'd shared since I was a child and looked between me and Adrian. "Then go," he said. "But I need a way to contact you."

Adrian opened his mouth to protest, but my father cut him off, looking at me.

"I will not have my daughter disappear with some boy, vampire or not, without me having a way to get in touch with her. I'm not going to rat you out to them, Sydney." He didn't elaborate on who _they_ were. He didn't need to. "I'll try to throw them off your trail. But when they stop looking, and they will stop looking eventually, I want you to come home. I'll need a way to let you know when it's safe."

I saw a small smile form on my mother's lips as my dad spoke. I looked back and forth between the two of them. Mom's hopeful smile and my dad's fierce gaze, unlike the cold one he usually wore. There was still anger and even disappointment in his stare, but the resolve to protect me I saw in his eyes overshadowed all of that.

I looked up at Adrian and nodded once. He bit his lip, but then turned his gaze towards my father. "Someone will be in touch, then," he told him and then tugged on the hand he still held. "We've got to go now, Sage."

I nodded and took a step back toward the street where the black Honda still sat, engine on, waiting.

"Tell Carly and Zoe that I love them and that I'm sorry," I said, fighting the tears in my eyes.

Mom nodded back, wiping at her own tears. My parents continued to watch us as Adrian and I got into the car. I grabbed the keys from him, unable to stand sitting in the passenger seat right now. I needed the comfort and distraction of driving or else I might breakdown.

As I pulled away from the curb, I gave them one last look, the people who'd raised me. My mother looked the strangest mix of sad, fearful and relieved. My father, for whatever it was worth, looked upset and for the first time in my life, I was pretty sure it wasn't with me.

"Are you okay?" Adrian asked as we pulled out into traffic and drove away. He reached over and took my right hand in his, giving it a small squeeze.

I thought about the prospect of freedom after almost nineteen years of being told what to do, what to say, what to think and feel, and it was like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I squeezed his hand back and smiled.

"I will be."


	12. Books

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**I had a different one shot scheduled for today, but I thought of this last night and wanted to post it. It's a lot different from the other ones I've done, but I think you'll like it. I'm not giving any more clues ate to what it is though. Read on to find out. And review and let me know what you thought!**

I didn't like being in the Moroi Court.

I may have been here before, but it wasn't like that other time had held good memories for me. I liked it even less that I'd been summoned here by Abe Mazur. That man was as sinister as a serpent. His nickname in Russia, _zmey_—or snake—was totally fitting.

I paced around the empty meeting room waiting for anyone else to show up. The door opened and I nearly hugged Rose when I saw her.

"Daughter of mine," Abe smiled from his seat on the couch, "so nice of you to finally join us. I thought young Sydney here might actually wear a whole in the floor while we waited."

I scowled at the Moroi man, trying to keep the fear out of my eyes. I was scared of Abe and everything that had to do with our little business arrangement. I hated myself for making any sort of arrangement with the man, but I wouldn't change things. He had helped me get some little semblance of justice for my sister Carly.

"Well, we're here now," Rose smiled, entering the room. It was then that I noticed Rose wasn't alone. Dimitri was with her, but so were the newly anointed Queen, Vasilisa, and her boyfriend, Christian. Jill Mastrano and Eddie Castile were also present. I had only seen Eddie once in passing, but I'd spent some time with Jill. Her eyes lit up when she saw me.

"Sydney!" she smiled. "What are you doing here? Do you know what's going on?"

As more and more Moroi and dhampirs streamed into the room it was hard to focus on her words, but I managed a polite smile and told her I had no idea what we were doing here.

Sonya Karp, a Moroi woman who'd, until recently, been Strigoi was the last to come in. I liked Sonya, as far as one could like a vampire of course, but I was still a little nervous around her. I'd seen her as a Strigoi and every time I looked at her now all I could see were blood red eyes and vicious fangs.

"Well, now that we're all here can you please tell us why?" I said, hoping my bravado hid my nerves. I directed the question at Abe, taking a seat as far away from him as possible.

He simply smiled and crossed his legs. "We're not all here yet," was all he said.

I looked around, confused. Who else could possibly need to be here for whatever he had planned? I was two seconds away from getting up and walking out. I didn't care what he tried to blackmail me with, no way was I staying here one second longer if he was only going to—

"I don't think he's coming," Jill said quietly.

I turned to look at her, unsure of what she meant, but everyone else seemed to understand. It was like everyone in the room collectively looked away. Rose looked down at her hands in her lap. Was it just me or did she look inordinately guilty about something?

"I can go talk to him again," said Lissa, looking at Rose for approval. "I'll tell him it's really important..."

Rose shook her head. "No. Leave him." She looked across the room toward her father. "Can't we just get this over with, old man?"

"No," Abe said in an annoyingly chipper way. "He needs to be here, too. I told you—"

Just then the door opened again and a tall Moroi guy walked in. He looked a little wobbly as he took in all of the faces in the room. "Is it my birthday already?" he asked. "You forgot to yell surprise."

I remembered him as Rose's ex-boyfriend, Adrian Ivashkov. His eyes twinkled a brilliant shade of green, but looked a little glassy as he stumbled over to a chair and sat down. I realized he must be drunk, even though it was a little early, by Moroi time, to be drinking.

From the way he avoided looking in Rose's direction and the way she sighed when she noticed he was drunk, I assumed their relationship hadn't ended well.

"Thank you for joining us, Adrian," Abe said, looking amused. "Now that we're finally all here, we should get started."

"We should," I repeated hoping he'd just tell us what was going on already so I could leave.

Abe smirked, amused by my impatience. "Now, now, Sydney. This concerns you most of all. Really, you should be thanking me for even showing you this."

"Showing her what?" Adrian asked, perking up a little in his seat.

Somehow Abe seemed to think Adrian's question was funny. "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough. It involves you, too. As well as sweet little Jill."

He gestured at Jill and her eyes went wide. "Me?" she squeaked.

"If you don't tell us what's up I swear, old man..." Rose said, letting her threat trail off.

"Alright, alright," Abe finally relented. He stood and walked around to the back of the couch, bending to pick something up. When he came back around he put a box down in the center of the coffee table. "I managed to get my hands on these," he said. "Don't ask me how, I'm not going to tell you." I could have sworn I heard him mutter, _You'd never believe me, anyway_, but he continued. "And I thought I should share them with you. Especially, Sydney, Adrian and Jill, considering."

"Considering what?" I demanded, all of my previous fear going out the window as a new wave of terror washed over me. What was he talking about?

Adrian stood up and, after a moment to regain his balance, walked over and opened the box. Much to my surprise he pulled out a book.

"Books?" he asked incredulously. "You made me leave the best seat at the bar for a box of _books_?" He raised an eyebrow at Abe. "I hope you're not expecting me to read them."

Abe rolled his eyes. "Of course I am," he said. "Look at the covers."

I watched Adrian's brows furrow in confusion, much the same way mine did, as he turned the book in his hand over. It's dust jacket was gold, but I couldn't see the cover from my seat. Adrian's green eyes went wide and he waved the book at Abe.

"Why is Jailbait's face on here?" he asked. "And..." He paused, seeming to think, then pointed at me. "The Alchemist."

"What?" I asked, jumping up and going over to the box. I reached in and pulled out one of the other books. There were six all together, including the gold one Adrian was waving around. The one I grabbed was red and when I turned it over, sure enough, there was a picture of my face, the word Bloodlines scripted across the bottom. I looked at it in disbelief.

"Hey," Rose said, coming up behind me and grabbing the book. "You and Adrian are on this one."

I pulled the book back and then dodged Adrian as he tried to grab it from me, too.

"Come on, Alchemist," he smirked. "I know you probably want to look at my picture a little longer, but let me see."

I scowled. "My name's not Alchemist," I said. "It's Syd—"

"Sydney Sage," he finished for me. "I remember. Now let me see it, huh, Sage?" he said reaching for the book again.

"No," I protested, flipping the book open to have a look inside. "You have your own."

He pouted, but was distracted when Jill waved a blue book at him.

"Here," she said. "You're on this one too, Adrian."

I was too distracted by the book to notice what they were doing. I'd started reading the first page and recognized the narrator immediately. To my shock, horror, and utter disbelief, the narrator of the book was... me.

I closed the book quickly and made the Alchemist sign of evil against my shoulder. How was such a thing even possible? How did Abe have something like this? What ever story these books told, it was my story. And it hadn't happened yet.

"You okay?" a voice asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. It was Adrian and he was giving me a strange look.

"Yes," I said, hoping my fear wasn't coming across in my expression. The last thing I needed was for Abe to notice how scared I was of his little "gift".

"You look like you just saw a ghost," he said, and I was a little stunned at how perceptive he was when he was drunk. Everyone else was fighting over the other four books and looking at the covers, but Adrian had spotted my fear, no problem. He reached out for the red book again. "Let me see."

I shook my head vehemently, not wanting him anywhere near this book or my thoughts. It wasn't until he shrugged and opened the gold book he still held that I realized all of the books were most likely narrated by me. Adrian flipped the book open backwards, going straight to the end.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Skipping to the good part," he said like it should have been obvious. After a few moments his eyes widened slightly at something he saw on the page and he flipped back a few more pages. Now _he_ looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"What?" I asked, leaning forward to try to read over his shoulder. It turned out to be nearly impossible with his greater height.

His green eyes looked like huge emeralds in his pale, sculpted face and I couldn't help but think how attractive he was. Not to me, of course, but for a Moroi. Moroi were all pretty attractive, but there was something about Adrian that set him out from the others in this room. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was, though.

Suddenly, Adrian closed the book he'd been reading and grabbed the red one from me before I could stop him. "We need to read these in order," he said, collecting the other books and putting them back in the box.

I was almost shocked by the way he took over control of the situation. It was such a juxtaposition from the way he'd drunkenly teetered into the room just a few minutes earlier.

He set those emerald eyes on Abe and said, "Is this for real?" He still held the red book in his hand and waved it in the air for emphasis.

Abe nodded, once again taking his seat on the couch. "Yes. As far as I know."

"So this is our future?" His eyes darted to my face for an uncomfortable second before shooting back to Abe. Something in his gaze unsettled me.

"Well, not _necessarily_," Abe said, stroking his goatee. "That's why I wanted you to read them. If you know what the future has in store for you you'll be able to... avoid certain unpleasant events."

"So you're helping us, then?" Rose asked. "Or them? I'm still confused. The books are about Sydney, Adrian and Jill. So you're saying something bad happens to them. Something bad enough that you felt the need to prepare us for. That doesn't sound good."

Adrian shook his head, he seemed almost sober now. "But this is real?" he asked again. His voice had almost a desperate edge to it. "_It's real_?"

Abe sighed indulgently and leaned back on the couch. "It could be."

Adrian's eyes darted to my face again, but this time he didn't look away immediately. I stared back as his eyes searched mine for something, I wasn't sure what. It made me uncomfortable to have someone look at me like this. Like they were trying to stare into my soul. I turned away.

"Let's just read it already," said Eddie, speaking up for the first time. "See what it's all about."

Adrian nodded and flipped open to the first page. I cringed, knowing they'd be reading my thoughts. My private, future thoughts. But I was just as intrigued by the books as the rest of them.

Adrian met my gaze one last time, giving me an uncertain half smile that held some emotion that I didn't understand, before starting to read.

"_Chapter 1_," he said.


	13. Masterpiece

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**First, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. I think that was the most reviews I've gotten yet for one of these One Shots. Also, I probably won't be continuing Books. I might revisit the concept after TIS comes out, but I will definitely not be turning it into its own story. It would take forever and probably end up being horribly boring. But I might throw together character reactions to vital parts in the series from time to time. We'll see ;)**

**So, I kind of love this chapter. It's short, but hopefully you'll love it too! Review and let me know :)**

"Shit," Adrian cursed, rolling away from me and falling onto the bed. His eyes were squeezed shut and his hands went to his already disheveled hair. "Shit, shit."

I wasn't exactly sure what to say. I was still catching my breath from our previous activities and, even though I knew the ramifications of what we'd just done, I couldn't think about that while my heart was pounding away in my chest.

"Shit," Adrian muttered again and then turned to face me. "I'm sorry, Sage. That doesn't usually happen. Actually, that's never happened. Ever. I'm always so careful about that... _Shit_! I can't believe I forgot."

"It's on both of us," I reasoned, trying to make him feel better, although now that my heartbeat was beginning to calm I could think again. And, boy, none of it was good.

"I know," he said, but it didn't sound like he knew. "But I've always... Sorry, you don't want to hear about any of that. But that's not something I ever forget." Then his contrite, guilty expression turned into a smirk. "Guess that says something about you, huh?" He even waggled his eyebrows at me like an idiot.

I took a deep breath and ignored him, trying to think logically passed all of the panic that was beginning to rise in my chest. Adrian noticed and stroked my tattooed cheek with his fingertips. It was something he always did when I needed to relax.

"Hey," he said gently, trying to comfort me now. "It was the only time we've ever forgotten. Just once. What are the chances that something happens? We'll be fine."

I automatically started calculating the probability of _something happening_, but forced myself to stop. Doing that would only drive me insane. He leaned back onto the bed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer. He buried his face in my hair and I heard him mutter a few more choice words under his breath.

"Look, it was an accident," I said, back to trying to comfort him. It seemed we were going back and forth on this. "And you're right. What are the chances? And even if something does happen, we'll handle it. In the meantime, we'll just hope for the best."

Adrian's head popped up and he leaned over me, resting his weight on his elbow. "What do you mean _handle it_?" he asked seriously. His green eyes bored into mine as he studied my response.

"I _mean_," I started slowly, unsure of his reaction. "If the worst does happen we'll figure it out."

He nodded, looking slightly relieved, and suddenly something occurred to me.

"Do you want something to happen?" I asked. I wasn't sure what emotion was behind the words—fear, anger, elation, curiosity—but whatever it was it was passionate.

Adrian looked thoughtful for a minute, his lips puckered in a very attractive way. "Not really," he finally said. "I don't know. I didn't do it on purpose or anything, but now that I'm thinking about it..."

"No," I said quickly. "We can't have children, Adrian. You know that."

"No, I don't _know_ that," he replied calmly. "Physically, the two of us can have children. Emotionally, I want a family with you. I love you."

"But..." I searched for a logical argument. "I'm only nineteen. I can't have kids when I'm _nineteen_!"

He nodded in agreement. "You're right. We're still pretty young, but you have to admit, it would be kind of awesome to be the cool, young parents."

I wasn't sure if the enthusiastic grin on his face made me feel better or worse.

I sat up, pulling the satin sheets up around my chest, much to Adrian's obvious dismay. "We don't even know for sure what they'd, uh, you know, _be_. I mean, I'm not exactly a standard human."

"You're definitely anything but standard," Adrian joked. "I see what you're getting at, though. We don't know how magic would effect the baby. But we could ask someone, right? Jackie must know something. Or, at least, know someone who knows something."

"I guess," I admitted. Although I really didn't want to ask her or anyone else. It was bad enough looking at Jill and knowing that she knew everything Adrian and I did...

"It wouldn't be bad though, right?" Adrian was saying. "It would be cool if they had magic. It'd be cool if they didn't. I'm not really picky, I guess. I just want to see your eyes staring back at me from a face I helped create," he said.

His fingers were playing along the edges of my hairline, pushing back my tangled hair. I barely contained the contented sigh that bubbled up at his words.

"It's sort of like the ultimate form of art if you think about it." He rested his hand on my abdomen, lightly brushing circles on my bare skin, and smiled at me. "What we just did? We might have just created a masterpiece."

Oh, God. My heart stumbled over itself and I leaned forward to kiss him. _Really_ kiss him. He could say the most romantic things sometimes.

I felt him smile against my lips as he dragged me back down to the mattress. "Did you want to try again or...?"

I laughed and pushed up on his chest, leaning across the bed to reach into the nightstand. When I settled back down I tossed a tiny foil package at him.

"Not right now," I said with a smile. "Ask me again in a year or two... or five."

Adrian grinned and kissed me again.

Still worried about what had happened, I decided that no matter what we'd be okay. And if Adrian's little "masterpiece" was forming inside of me, well... Maybe that wouldn't be so bad.


	14. Pink Pony

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Tha is for all the reviews guys! We're almost at a hundred :) Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to KeepCalmAndDream because you asked so nicely ;) Review and let me know what you think or if you have any ideas!**

I ran the paintbrush across the canvas in quick, smooth strokes, finishing up the painting I'd been working on for the last couple of days. I'd been having more and more paintings commissioned lately and I'd been uncommonly busy for a guy who usually did as little as possible, but I'd made time to work on this one. It wasn't for a client or gallery. It was way more important than that.

I stepped back, taking in my genius as a finished product. The painting was good, if I did say so myself. And the recipient of this masterpiece was going to love it.

_Of course she would_, I thought, _I painted it_. And I meant that in an I'm-the-best sort of way, not a she-loves-me-and-thinks-everything-I-do-is-fantastic sort of way. Even though that was certainly true, as well.

I was just finishing cleaning up my art supplies when I heard a car pull into the driveway. I smiled to myself and went out to the living room to get the door. Good thing too, because I'd no sooner gotten it open then Sydney fumbled with her keys while trying to get them in the lock, almost dropping the grocery bags she was carrying.

"Whoa, Sage. Give me those," I said, grabbing the bags from her. She smiled gratefully and turned around to get the rest from the car.

I leaned out of the door a little, watching her go. My God, she looked good today. Not that she didn't always look good, but she looked especially good today in a pair of tight jeans and a silky red blouse I'd bought her for her birthday. It was the first time she'd been able to wear it and I gave myself a little mental pat on the back for picking it out. I had awesome taste.

"_DAAAADDYYYY_!"

I had the urge to cover my ears at the high pitched squeal, but with the groceries in my hands it was impossible. I put the bags down on the living room floor and turned just in time to catch a speeding blonde bullet racing towards me. A speeding blonde bullet that most people said was an exact clone of me.

"Daddy! Guess what Mommy got me at the store!" Adrianna said, throwing her arms around my neck as I bent down to grab her. I flipped her up into my arms and stood. She pulled back to show me a big red lollipop wrapped in her delicate little fingers.

"Wow," I smiled. "That looks awesome. Can I have some?" I leaned in close and she pulled the lollipop away from me.

"No!" she laughed, "Here!"

To my surprise, even though it probably shouldn't have been, she waved her little hand toward Sydney and the bag she was carrying from the car. Sydney jumped slightly when a lollipop lifted from the bag and started floating towards Adrianna. She juggled the bag in her arms quickly and grabbed the lollipop before a neighbor could notice it flying around of its own accord.

"Adrianna," Sydney admonished, hurrying over and handing our daughter the lollipop. "You know the rules. You can only do spells in the house during your practice time."

"Sorry," Adrianna said, lowering her gaze and pouting. Even though I hated having to tell the kid no, Sydney was right about using magic outside the house. It'd be bad for everyone if some nosy neighbor noticed. "I just wanted to get the lollipop."

"I know, baby," Sydney said, her features softening at Adrianna's pouty face. If the kid inherited anything from me other than my green eyes, it was that pout. Sydney gave in whenever I made that face, no matter how annoying I was being, and Adrianna was way better at it then I was.

"Mommy's right, though," I told Adrianna, then turned to Sydney. "Can't have Mrs. Kravitz catching Tabitha twitching her nose and popping a play house into the front yard."

Sydney rolled her eyes and mouthed, _She doesn't understand that._ I knew the kid wouldn't understand the reference, but Sydney did. I'd gotten her to watch _Bewitched_ with me recently and she wasn't impressed by it. Guess she didn't think it was as funny I did. But then again, she wasn't the one living with two beautiful, blonde witches.

Adrianna bounced in my arms, her way of saying she wanted down, and I placed her on her feet.

"Here," she said again and shoved the extra lollipop at me. "It was supposed to be for Lily, but now it's for you."

"Oh," I raised my eyebrows at her brusque tone. She was sort of a live wire sometimes, but other times she could be so much like Sydney I wanted to laugh. "Well, thanks."

"Mommy said Lily isn't old enough for candy," she went on perfectly business like, ignoring me. "I said I'd keep it until she gets older, but she said you'd eat it by then anyway, so I might as well just give it you now."

I smirked, first at my wife who lifted her eyebrows, challenging me to say it wasn't true, and then at my surly little daughter. "Mommy was right, like always. Thanks, munchkin," I said, messing up her hair.

"Daddy! Please!" she complained, pulling away and smoothing her hair back down in a way that made her look more like a clone of Sydney than me. Then she unwrapped her lollipop and jumped on the couch to watch cartoons.

When I turned back to Sydney she thrust the grocery bag she was holding at me and said, "Where's Lily?"

I pursed my lips, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know. She was in the art studio before, crawling around—"

"Adrian!" Sydney cried, pushing passed me, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Kidding, Sage," I laughed. "Relax. She's napping. I checked on her ten minutes ago."

She rolled her eyes, but flushed the cutest shade of red, embarrassed she'd fallen for the joke. I leaned down and kissed her, and it wasn't a quick one even though our three year old daughter was in the room.

When she pulled away and went to the kitchen, I picked up the other bags and followed her in there, browsing through the bags. I pulled out a box of sugar coated donut holes and raised my eyebrows.

"This looks like something _I'd_ buy," I said, placing the box on the counter.

"Shut up," she said simply.

I smirked. "She gave you the puppy eyes, didn't she? The puppy eyes never fail."

She pulled out a bag of carrots and placed it on the counter. "Don't you have something you can go do?" she asked, trying and failing to sound truly exasperated.

I leaned forward and kissed her again, pulling her against me. "Well, the kid's distracted right now and the Lil Monster should be out for a little while longer. We could sneak away for a couple minutes..."

"Mmm," she murmured against my lips, before pulling away and picking the carrots back up, much to my disappointment. "Go play with your daughter," she smiled. "And we'll discuss our playtime later."

"Yeah?" I asked, sounding a little more desperate than I'd wanted to.

"Oh, yeah," she grinned.

It'd been a while since we'd had any "playtime" so to speak, what with her just having Lily. But if she was feeling up to it again, I was game. I left her in the kitchen and grabbed Adrianna off the couch, throwing her over my shoulder and bringing her into the art studio with me. She giggled the whole way.

"Are we painting?" she asked excitedly, trying to spin herself around to get a look.

"Not today, munchkin," I told her, pulling her down so she was seated comfortably in my arms. "I finished working on something, something really important that I need your opinion on."

"Ooh!" She smiled. Adrianna loved when she got to paint with me, but she loved it even more when I let her decide whether a painting was finished or not.

"Alright, close your eyes." Once she'd obliged, I turned the easel I'd been working on before around, putting the canvas on display. "Open your eyes."

I watched her little face, the face that looked so much like mine, light up when she saw what I'd done. She grinned, leaning forward to get a better look, but knowing not to touch the wet canvas.

"You think it's done?" I asked and she nodded seriously.

She narrowed her eyes, taking in every inch of the painting. "I do."

I heard Sydney walk up behind me and then felt her hand on my back before she squeezed in next to us and looked at the painting. It was colorful, lots of purples and pinks and blues, and unlike my usual paintings this one wasn't an abstract. It was very obviously a big pink pony with a small blonde girl with giant green eyes on its back.

Sydney stifled a laugh when she saw it, but Adrianna was still taking it in like it was a piece in a museum. Finally, she sat back in my arms and looked at me and Sydney very seriously before saying, "It's badass."

I laughed, because what the hell else was I going to do with that statement, but Sydney pinched my hip, looking at me like I was the three year old who'd just cursed.

"Adrian!" was all she said, but I caught the silent lecture that was hidden underneath.

"What?" I asked, putting Adrianna down and trying to control my laughter. "She could have learned that from anybody, Sage!"

Sydney didn't look convinced, but she did shake her head, a grin breaking through on her face.

Adrianna tugged on my sleeve to get my attention. "Can I keep the painting, Daddy?" she asked. "I'll take good care of it."

"Of course, baby. We'll hang it in your room when it's dry," I told her, causing her to hug my leg in utter three year old happiness.

It was a trivial thing really, but it made me happy knowing that I'd made her happy. Sydney smiled at me and when our eyes met I knew it made her happy, too. We both grinned, watching our daughter bounce around planning exactly where in her room the painting was going to go.

Maybe it was the way we'd both grown up, with our fathers constantly getting on us for every little thing, but when Sydney and I first got married we made a sort of unspoken pact that we'd never treat our kids the way we were treated. Even before we were married and had Adrianna I'd always thought, _Hey, if our kids were super smart blonde bombshell's with unrivaled magical powers, so be it._ We'd love them no matter what. Or maybe they'd have dark hair and refuse to apply themselves in school and drink and act out...

Well, we'd have to step in in that case, but as long as we raised them right I figured we could avoid having a mini me running around. The point was, however our kids turned out, we were going to love them and they'd know it.

And from the way Adrianna was grinning up at us, I knew she knew it.


	15. Stay

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This one is sort of just a cute little scene between Sydney and Adrian. Not much to it, though. Hope you like it. Review and let me know! I'm currently working on some of the ideas you guys have left for me :)**

"Stay," Adrian whispered against my lips.

I kissed him back, closing my eyes, pretending that it wasn't close to curfew.

We'd been making out on his couch for awhile now, ever since we'd come back from our date. It wasn't our first date, but Adrian had a way of making every date feel like the first. Maybe it was the way my stomach always erupted into butterflies when I was around him this way, or maybe it was just that he always made every experience better just by being there.

Today he'd taken me to the same windmill farm Brayden had when we'd dated—because he said he needed to see what a windmill farm was and why anyone would ever want to take a date there. He'd smirked and teased me the entire drive there, but as soon as we got close enough to see the looming windmills in the distance he'd leaned forward in the passenger seat with a murmured, "That's where we're going? That's badass, Sage."

We'd gotten the same guide as last time, but unlike last time she didn't seem to want to strangle my date for asking too many questions. Adrian might have even made more comments then Brayden had, but they were entertaining and had everyone in the tour group laughing.

At one point near the end of the tour, while Adrian was distracted by a display about wind power that used high force fans, the guide had stepped up beside me and whispered, "This one's much better than the last guy you came here with." I'd laughed and nodded, knowing that Adrian, while distracted, could still here every word we said. My assumption was confirmed when he'd looked over his shoulder a moment later and winked at me.

After the windmills we'd gone to a nice restaurant outside of Palm Springs where Adrian had made reservations. Then we'd come back to his place, where I'd left my car, and gotten distracted when he'd kissed me goodnight.

Now, an hour later, and I really needed to leave, but his insistent voice in my ear had me considering his request.

"It's Saturday," he murmured while moving to kiss my neck. "You don't have school tomorrow. You could stay."

I opened my eyes, preparing to push him off of me and sit up, but before I could he pulled back and looked me in the eyes.

"We don't even have to do anything," he said softly, his green eyes searching mine. "But I'm not ready for you to leave yet. We could just relax. Kiss some more, watch a movie, go to sleep? Please?"

I was still flat on my back on his plaid couch, my shirt half unbuttoned and my shoes somewhere near his front door. I really wanted to pull him back to me and finish what we started. I'd been wanting that more and more for the last few weeks, but I'd always found some excuse, some reason why we couldn't. Not that I'd let him know. As far as he was concerned we'd just been making out until I had to leave. He never pushed, never asked for more.

Until now.

And, really, all he was asking was for me to spend the night, not _spend the night_. He still wasn't really pushing to get anything. Which was why it was so hard to say no. But I couldn't stay.

"I don't have school, but I still have to go back," I said reasonably. "I signed out. If I don't sign back in I'll get in trouble."

"I'll call the school and let them know you won't be back tonight," he offered, his smile was wicked as he lowered himself back down on top of me. "I am your _brother_, after all."

I made a face and pushed him off, finally sitting up. "Please, never say that again while we're doing... _this_. Besides that," I said, with a roll of my eyes, "I don't want to wander in in the morning wearing yesterday's clothes looking like..."

"Like you got some?" he smirked. "Trust me, those boarding school kids have probably all done the walk of shame across campus at some point."

"Yeah, well, I haven't. And I don't want to start now."

"So don't go back in the morning," he said like it was the obvious solution. "Stay tomorrow, too. Not all day, of course, but we could spend the morning together. We could make breakfast and then just hang out. I'll take you out to lunch. It'll be nice."

I cupped his cheek in my hand and kissed him softly. "It does sound nice, but—"

"I'm not asking for anything here, Sage."

I laughed and shook my head. "I know. And honestly, I wouldn't even be opposed if you were. I'm just—"

"_What_?" Adrian cut me off. "You don't... I mean, you want..."

I bit my lip and nodded, telling him the truth. "I think so, yeah."

He raised both eyebrows. "So what are we talking about, then?" He leaned back, pulling me down on top of his chest, and stroked my hair. "_Stay_."

"It's not that I don't want to," I said. "I do. Trust me. I just... I don't know. I'm nervous." I pulled back and tried to explain my thoughts better. "Not of you. I'm not nervous of that. But of what it means. For us. For me. For everyone. If we do this, it's... permanent."

"It's already permanent, Sydney," he whispered. "The way I feel... it's not going away."

"I know. But right now I still have the illusion of being able to walk away. If we... you know... I won't have that anymore." I sighed. "And it's risky, anyway. What if we do it and someone finds out? They're more likely to notice something's up if I'm spending the night here all the time."

The self satisfied smirk that spread across Adrian's face was enough to make me blush. "All the time?"

"Shut up," I said, covering my face with my hands. "You know what I mean."

The smirk disappeared and Adrian rubbed a circle over my back. "I know. But we can't live our lives based on a bunch of _what if's_ can we? A million things could happen to me tomorrow, but what I know for certain is that, if any of those _what if's_ do happen, at least I lived my life."

I took a deep breath, knowing he was right. I had to live while I had the chance. If the Alchemists showed up on my doorstep tomorrow to take me away, at least I would have had tonight. I licked my lips, and exhaled, making my decision.

Turning to face him, I threw my arms around Adrian's neck and kissed him. He was quick to respond and had me on my back again within seconds. When we finally pulled back from each other I smiled up at him.

"Okay," I said. "I'll stay."


	16. Caught

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Have you guys seen the new teaser pic on the Bloodlines Facebook? So hot! Anyway, here's a fluffy little one shot for you. Hope you like it. Review and let me know!**

"Hey, Sage?" Adrian asked, swinging his pool stick around before handing it to Angeline so she could take her turn. "Can I talk to you for a sec? Eddie can you take my turn for me?"

Eddie nodded and I shrugged, before following Adrian from Clarence's billiard room. Once we were outside and he'd closed the French doors I asked him what was up, but he just shook his head and led me through the twisting hallways to the kitchen.

"Adrian, what's going on?" I asked, stepping into the empty kitchen. I had no idea what he could want, and I was getting annoyed that he wouldn't talk to me. I turned around to face him. "Why won't you—"

Before I could finish my sentence Adrian silently reached out and dragged me to him. He lowered his mouth to mine, his lips demanding and firm, causing me to give in and wrap my arms around his neck as he kissed me. He took a step forward, which, due to our proximity, forced me to take a step back. He backed me up, step my step, until my back pressed against the kitchen counter. I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer, while his hands traveled lower, tracing my spine before splaying out over my hips. With a stifled groan, his hands slid down further still, cupping my butt and causing me to laugh before pulling me up onto the counter.

I pulled away, leaning back against the cabinets, trying to catch my breath. "What are you doing?" I asked with a smile.

"Kissing my girlfriend." He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine. "Why? You gotta problem with that?"

I sighed and pushed him back a little. "No problem with the kissing," I said ruefully. "Just a problem with the kissing taking place in Clarence's kitchen. I thought we agreed?"

"Would you rather we go to Clarence's bedroom? He's taking a nap right now, but I bet he's a heavy sleeper. We probably wouldn't wake him..." Seeing my unamused expression Adrian huffed like a petulant child. "Yeah, yeah. Separation of church and state or whatever. I remember."

I laughed, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling myself to the edge of the counter. He dropped his hands to my knees, pressing them tightly to his hips as he stood between my legs. "I said we needed a separation of casual time and business time. Now would be one of those business times."

"But we're hanging out playing pool," he said incredulously. "That's casual."

"But we're at Clarence's," I countered. "That's business."

He scoffed. "Not even _you_ can think this visit qualifies as business."

I held firm, refusing to give in this time. Last week, during Jill's feeding, he'd dragged me out behind the house to one of the gardens for an impromptu make out session. I hadn't been complaining at the time, but afterwards I'd realized we were pushing our limits a little. If we kept this behavior up it was only a matter of time until we were caught in a compromising position.

It wasn't that I thought our friends would tell the Moroi or Alchemists on us and get us in all kinds of trouble, but I'd rather just keep our relationship between me and Adrian for as long as possible. Well, and Jill, because there was no way to keep her from knowing, what with the spirit bond she shared with Adrian.

Adrian smiled angelically, clearly changing tactics when he realized his argument was getting him nowhere, and ran his hands up and down my thighs. "I just missed you is all," he whispered sweetly to me. "You haven't come over in a couple of days and I wanted to see you."

I gave him a yeah right type of look and his innocent half smile dropped, replaced instead by a brusque, business demeanor.

"Fine, Sage. Five minutes. I just want five minutes of your time and I won't bother you again for the rest of the day."

"It's already been almost two minutes," I said, checking my internal clock.

Adrian smiled slyly. "Then I've got three minutes left." He leaned forward and kissed me, pulling me closer to him.

"Mmm," I murmured, trying to pull back again. "Adrian, what if someone walks in?"

"Sage. No one's going to walk in," he assured me. "No one comes in the kitchen besides Dorothy and she's out grocery shopping. Besides, Eddie and Angeline are busy playing pool and Jailbait knows better than to follow us into a room." He smirked and I shook my head, but couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face.

"Let's call the next three minutes casual time, alright?" he asked.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at my own lack of will power and nodded, giving in to Adrian's whim, as usual.

"Two and a half minutes," I corrected.

As he pulled my legs up around his waist and pressed closer to me, I reasoned that I wanted this just as badly as he did, so it was sort of a mutual whim. I couldn't really blame him for convincing me to do something I already wanted to do.

Adrian's tongue explored the inside of my mouth hurriedly, like he thought he'd never get another opportunity and was trying to memorize it. He tugged me even closer, until I was barely sitting on the countertop any more. His left hand slid up the outside of my thigh, tracing a path up, up, up, until he reached my chest.

I moaned softly when I felt Adrian's fingers come up to cup my breast over my shirt. He squeezed gently, kneading my skin lightly, while his mouth traveled down to my neck. I threw my head back, loving the sensations he was causing in me with his touches. He started to untuck my blouse and slipped his hand underneath, his warm fingers splaying over my stomach. We were distracted, so distracted that neither of us noticed the kitchen door opening until it was too late.

"Oh, my God!" I heard Eddie shout.

My eyes snapped open and I pushed Adrian away as hard as I could. He groaned in frustration, but at least he looked slightly embarrassed. It made me feel a little better about the blood I could feel rushing to my cheeks. I hurriedly hopped off of the counter and started to tuck my shirt back in.

Eddie stared at us wide eyed and red-cheeked for a few moments. "I... you... and..." Finally he shook his head, squeezed his eyes shot and turned back toward the door, murmuring "I'm sorry," over and over again as he fled the kitchen.

Once he was gone I smacked Adrian's shoulder hard enough that I knew it'd hurt my hand once my adrenaline faded, but I refused to care.

"No one's going to walk in?" I hissed. "Yeah. Great. Now Eddie knows... well, pretty much everything!" I smoothed down my wrinkled clothes, desperately trying to calm my beating heart.

I wasn't sure whether it had been the excitement of kissing Adrian or the horror of getting caught, or maybe both, but I was so hyped up I smacked Adrian again just because.

"Ow, Sage," he whined. "How was I supposed to know he'd walk in?"

"Because I told you!"

He rubbed his shoulder, shrugging. "I still don't see what the big deal is. I mean, yeah, Castile catching me with my hand up your shirt isn't exactly how I wanted casual time to go, but it's not like he saw anything."

I blushed. "He saw enough!"

Adrian quickly lost the grin and said, "Alright, you're right. I'm sorry." I was pleased with the apology for about half a second before his standard smirk spread over his face and he laughed. "You were right, I was wrong, and now Castile got an eyeful of us going at it."

"Adrian, it's not a joke," I complained, although, after the fact, it was kind of funny. Thank God, we'd only been in the kitchen, I thought. If we'd retreated to one of the guest bedrooms I was worried just what Eddie would have walked in on.

It was weird. I could usually hold myself and my emotions in check, but the second I was alone with Adrian all of that went flying out the window. I lost my head when I was with him. That was one of the things I liked most about him, even if I'd never admit it.

Adrian leaned forward, kissing me quickly before grabbing the collar of my blouse to straighten it. "Let's just go get all the awkwardness out of the way, okay?" he said. "Then you can be mad at me all you want. In fact, I'll just assume I lost all of my casual time privileges for the rest of the day."

"The rest of the day?" I asked incredulously. "Adrian, you said five minutes and—"

He kissed me again and I could feel his smirk against my lips. When he pulled back I took a deep breath and let the argument go. It was probably better this way, anyway. I followed him from the kitchen and back to the billiard room.

As we approached the French doors Adrian pulled me to a stop gesturing for me to stay quiet. I did, listening to the conversation going on inside.

"I can't believe you were right," Eddie was saying, his voice a mix of shock and amusement. "They were seriously making out in there."

"I told you," Angeline said, "I saw them out in the rose garden last week. They were all over each other." She laughed at something Jill mumbled and then said, "Now pay up."

Adrian pulled the doors open just in time to see Eddie forking over a ten dollar bill to Angeline. Jill sat in the corner of the room laughing to herself.

"You're really that bored?" Adrian asked sanctimoniously. "That you're making bets about our love life?"

Jill rolled her eyes. "Don't feel too special," she said gesturing at the dhampirs. "They also made a bet about what time Clarence will wake up."

"Oh, that's easy," Adrian said with a smile, snapping out of the self-righteous attitude he'd just held. "Put me down for four-thirty-two. The old man might be crazy, but he's always punctual."

I stared, wide eyed, as Adrian laughingly joined in on their bet. The tension I'd felt in the kitchen seemed to dissipate as I watched my friends joking around. I met Jill's eye and she shrugged, seeming to say, "No one's all that surprised that you two are together, so get over it."

I laughed silently and gave a small shake of my head. I guess that was all I could do.

"I'm calling four-thirty on the dot," I said, joining the others.

Adrian grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, and I realized that having a boyfriend publicly was way better than sneaking around. We could hold hands in front of everyone and not have to worry about anyone reading into our words or the looks we gave each other. But then I thought back to casual time in the kitchen and reconsidered. Sneaking around did have its perks, also.


	17. Understanding

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This one shot is actually a deleted scene from Of Magic and Misery (which I swear I WILL update soon). It's from Chapter 8, if you've read that story it's where Sydney and Adrian are doing a spell to locate Marcus. The scene in the story is the one I originally planned out, but while writing it... well, Adrian went a little spirit crazy on me and I ended up with this. And I turned it into a one shot. There are bits and pieces of a kissing scene from later on in here also (because they weren't supposed to kiss until MUCH later in the story), so if some stuff seems familiar it's because it was recycled.**

**Anyway, let me know what you think!**

I hadn't thought my night would go like this.

When Adrian had first suggested I use the location spell Ms. Terwilliger had taught me in order to find Marcus Finch I'd been excited. I'd be able to find Marcus directly, instead of asking around or searching the Alchemist database. I hadn't been having much luck with either, so Adrian's suggestion was almost a relief. But, I'd figured Ms. Terwilliger would be the one to help me cast it, not Adrian.

Unfortunately, Ms. Terwilliger had a teacher's conference this weekend and couldn't make it. The only other person in Palm Springs who knew about my magic was Adrian, so I'd been forced to call him for help.

We'd been setting up everything we'd need for the spell, but it was still half an hour until midnight. Half an hour until the spell could be performed. Adrian had suggested sitting in the car, seeing as it was so cold out.

It wasn't that I wasn't grateful for Adrian's help, or even uncomfortable around him. Actually, I was glad things were getting better between us. We had even been joking around with one another. Things had been so difficult lately that it had felt nice, like it used to. Ever since the kiss he'd avoided me. But we'd only just started fixing our relationship, so sitting in his Mustang, late at night, in the middle of the desert, just the two of us, may have been a little more than either of us could handle. The tension in the air was apparent, even to me.

So when Adrian had innocently reached out to warm my hands in his I think it had taken us both by surprise.

His larger hand swallowed mine, instantly warming it from the cold that I'd just felt from setting up the ingredients for the spell. But before I could even think enough to say something or pull my hands away, Adrian was already doing both.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sounding as if he truly were sorry. He sounded so distraught I turned to look at him. He leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. "I didn't mean to... No touching. That's what we said."

We had said that. If our new relationship was going to work, then boundaries had to be set, for both parties. But he just looked so upset...

"It's okay," I said, feeling a deep need to comfort him. "Nothing happened. Nothing's wrong. We're okay."

He shook his head gently. The leather of the seat groaned with the movement. "I don't think we'll ever be okay, Sage. Not while you keep denying—"

"I'm not denying anything!" I interrupted, suddenly angry. Why did he have to start? We were having an okay time, we were friends again! Why did he have to ruin it?

Adrian tilted his head so he could see me. "Okay, so let's talk about what you're not denying, then."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out at first. Finally, I shook my head. "I should never have asked you to come along. I can do this spell myself."

"Why?" Adrian asked, sitting up. "Because you don't want to talk about us? You'd rather be out here all alone then talk to me about whatever _this_–" he gestured between the two of us "–is?"

"There is no _us_, Adrian!" I hated him. Why couldn't he just leave it alone? "There can never be an _us_! No matter what you want. Okay? Please! Let it go."

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I want to, Sage. I really do." The ugliest sneer crossed his beautiful face and it broke my heart that I'd put it there. "Do you think I like being the idiot who keeps falling for unavailable girls? Do you think I do this to myself on purpose?"

"Adrian—"

"Don't Adrian me! _Talk_ to me." He reached out to touch my shoulder, but thought better of it. "Please? Just this once. We're all alone, middle of the desert. No one will hear and tattle on you. Please, just talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?" I asked, helplessly throwing my arms up and letting them fall back into my lap. "It won't change things."

His soft, kissable lips pressed into a thin unhappy line. "I don't know what's worse," he muttered. "Loving Rose, who never loved me back at all and used me anyway, or loving you, and knowing that the only reason we're not together is because of what I am."

"Adrian." I could practically see the spirit darkness beginning to swirl around him. I wanted to comfort him, to say it didn't matter what he was, didn't matter that he was Moroi. That it didn't bother me anymore. But that was a lie. Him being Moroi was the only reason we weren't together. I knew in my heart that if he were some human guy, we'd be happy right now instead of fighting. "I'm sorry," was all I could tell him.

He gave me a tight smile. "Will you at least do me one favor?" He reached out and cupped my cheek, the one with the lily on it. Heat licked up my body as he traced the lines of my tattoo. "When you find a guy you _do_ like, someone you love... Love him with all of your heart. Please don't let the Alchemists dictate your life forever."

The entire time he'd been talking I had already known what I was going to do. I'd known since the moment he'd reached out to touch my cheek. Part of me wondered if I'd known since I'd asked him to help me with the spell. It wasn't a smart decision, it wasn't the right decision. Neither of us were in the right state of mind for this. But the second Adrian's lips stopped moving I took my chance.

I leaned forward and touched my lips to his.

Little electric jolts shot down my spine, warming me from the inside out. Instinctively, I moved my lips on his, pressing harder when he failed to respond. I wasn't thinking, I had stopped thinking the moment his fingers touched my face. Now those fingers started moving, tracing the curve of my jaw before tangling in my hair. His mouth parted slightly and he sucked my bottom lip in between his lips. I would've been embarrassed of the way it made me moan, but he was already pressing into me, leaning me back against the passenger side door.

I wasn't sure how he managed it with the console in between us, but he'd somehow found his way from the drivers seat halfway into the passenger seat with me. His hands skimmed down my arms and back up again, then moved to my sides. Up and down, up and down, finally grasping my waist and pulling me closer.

I loved the way this felt. The fire burning inside of me at his touch, the way my lips tingled from his kisses. The utter rightness of his body next to mine. How had I denied myself of this for so long?

I ran my hand down his back, tracing his spine with my fingers. He sighed against my lips, and my tongue darted into his mouth. I hadn't done this with Brayden. We'd kissed, but it was never this intense. Never this passionate. But somehow my tongue sought Adrian's out, wrapping around his like it'd been doing this forever, and Adrian's responded. The feeling was incredible. This was why everyone went on and on about how great kissing was. This was what Julia and Kristin, even Jill and Angeline, meant when they talked about how much fun making out was.

After another minute Adrian calmed down and pulled away, but only enough so that we could both breathe. His forehead was still touching mine. He was breathing heavily and I was surprised by how smug I felt at that. I shouldn't have felt that way. I should have felt disgusted, or at least terrified by what I'd just done. Instead I just felt... satisfied. A few weeks ago I'd been completely baffled by hand holding, now I was kissing well enough to leave Adrian Ivashkov breathless.

I knew I couldn't live in this moment forever, though. I'd have to open my eyes and face the daunting truth sooner or later. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into Adrian's big green ones. His hands cupped my face once again, but he didn't look enthralled or dreamy or even plagued by spirit anymore. His eyes were clear and serious.

"You're going to say that didn't change anything, aren't you?" It was a question, but his stony tone made it seem more like a fact. "Why can't you just admit how you feel? You just had your tongue shoved down my throat, I'm not going to buy that bullshit about you not wanting me."

I pushed him away and sat up. He was right. I couldn't deny how I felt, not to him, at least. But how I felt really _didn't_ change anything. "It was never about me not wanting you. The Alchemists won't allow it. You have to understand, it's like the ultimate sin in their eyes. I won't go against that. I can't."

"Why not?" he asked. He didn't seem angry, more curious than anything else.

"Because," I said, "I'd be turning my back on everything I've ever known. On my family. My father would disown me! I'd never see my mother again. Or my sisters. I'd have to disappear or the Alchemists would send me away." I sighed. "I like you, Adrian. But it's not that simple in my world. Liking you, being friends with Jill, Eddie and Angeline? I almost got sent away just for helping Rose prove she was innocent. What do you think they'd do if they knew that I was here with you right now?"

He was silent for a few minutes. I took that as a good sign. He was starting to understand just what was at stake here. Eventually he sat back and shook his head. "I always knew the Alchemists were strict, Sage, but that seems more like a cult than a job. I mean, they don't like Moroi or damphirs, I get that. We're unnatural, evil, whatever. But they'd remove you from Palm Springs just for being friendly?"

I smirked and wondered briefly if maybe some of Adrian's personality was rubbing off on me. "Sticking my tongue in your mouth qualifies as a little more than just friendly, I'd say."

He smiled. "Yeah. You're definitely the friendliest Alchemist I've ever met." His smile faded and turned regretful. "Sydney, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be pushy. I would never ask you to choose between me and your family. I don't want you to ever have to make a choice like that. I just don't want you to feel bullied by the Alchemists. This is your life and you should be able to make your own decisions."

"Thank you." I smiled, grateful that he cared so much, but unable to give him what he wanted. "Unfortunately, dating a vampire is not a decision I can make right now."

He looked like one of Mrs. Terwilliger's cats when they heard a can of cat food pop open. He perked up and studied my face. "Right now?"

I shook my head. "That's not what I meant. Or... I don't know, okay?" I gestured around the car, indicating our situation. "It's not like I'm having the easiest time staying away from you. But we can't kiss anymore, okay? We can't. If someone saw, if the Alchemists wanted to check up on me... I'd be sent away faster than you could blink."

"I don't know, Sage. I'm a pretty fast blinker. " He fluttered his long, dark eyelashes at me like girls did in those old black and white movies Carly used to love so much and I couldn't help but laugh. He smiled, but his tone was serious. "I don't want to do anything to get you in trouble. I just want to be on the same page. I like you, you like me, but we're star-crossed lovers who will forever be torn apart by circumstance. Got it."

I laughed. I wasn't sure why, but hearing him say it like that, like we were Romeo and Juliet, fighting our families wishes so that our love could burn bright, it just sounded so funny. It was true to an extent, we came from two different worlds and our people didn't want us to be together. Thinking about it, we were actually a lot worse off than Romeo and Juliet. They were at least both human. But I had a hard time picturing Adrian and I in a tomb somewhere committing suicide because the Alchemists and Moroi said a relationship was forbidden. It was all very melodramatic. Adrian must have agreed because he had started laughing, too.

"Sage," he started to say after we'd both calmed down, but right then my alarm went off.

I looked down at the time and felt the oddest mix of relief, annoyance and anxiety.

"It's time to do the spell," I said and got out of the car.


	18. Reunited

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Hope you like this one. A little angst and a little kissing is just what Sydrian moments should be made of. Review and let me know what you think!**

Closing my eyes I took a deep breath and exhaled out slowly through my nose. I clenched and unclenched my fists in my lap, causing my knuckles to turn white. I was nervous. Beyond nervous, really. I felt like I was having a panic attack as the driver pulled the big, black SUV up in front of the palace of the Moroi Queen.

It wasn't so much being in a place populated by vampires that was making me so nervous. I'd been to the Moroi Court before. I'd even met the Moroi Queen. I'd had lunch with her once, actually. No. It wasn't the Moroi presence that scared me. It was the prospect of seeing a few specific Moroi and damphirs that made my breathing run shallow and caused my stomach to twist into knots.

_Such a coward_, I told myself.

The worst part was that I knew it was true. I knew that I never would have stepped back into this place if I hadn't been forced to do so for work. I had a meeting scheduled with Lissa, the Queen and Rose Hathaway's best friend. The Alchemists were still trying to further relations between our group and the Moroi and this meeting was a part of that. I'd been selected for the job because of my past relationship with this particular group.

I'd not only helped clear Rose's name when she'd been accused of murder, but I'd also helped guard the Queen's sister Jill after she'd been attacked by rebels looking to unseat Lissa from the throne. Luckily all of that had been resolved a little over a year ago and I had been reassigned to a cushier job, meaning I had become nothing more than a paper pusher who never had to deal with vampires. Until now, of course.

I bit my lip to stop a panicked laugh from escaping me as I pushed open my door and exited the car. The Alchemists chose me for this assignment because of my relationship with these people. If they only knew what my relationship with them was actually like they'd have sent me to a re-education center instead.

A guardian helped me with my bag and led me into the building. He was older, in his thirties, probably, with dark hair and a thick build. _He could probably carry my bag and me around for the rest of the day and not even be winded_, I thought trying to distract myself.

"If you'll follow me, Miss, I'll take you to your room," he said kindly.

After I went to my room and freshened up for my meeting I started to worry about what today would bring. It wasn't that I had parted ways badly with any of these people, it was just that I hadn't seen them in so long. After I'd been reassigned I, of course, hadn't been able to keep in touch with them. And now I'd be seeing them again, or some of them at least, and I wasn't sure how to feel. I was sort of excited, but also terrified of their reactions. What if they hated me now? They'd been my friends, my best friends, and in their eyes it must have seemed like I had abandoned them.

A knock sounded at the door and my stomach clenched.

_This is it_, I thought.

I took a deep breath and pulled the door open. A willowy girl with light brown hair stood in front of me. Her pale green eyes widened when they saw me and she rushed forward, throwing her skinny arms around me.

"It _is_ you!" Jill cried. Her voice sounded thick with emotion and she held onto me as if I might disappear if she let go. "I knew an Alchemist was coming but I didn't think it would be you. I didn't want to get my hopes up. Again. But then I saw you from my window when you got out of the car. I was sure it was you, but I had to come and see to be certain."

I hugged her back and blinked back a few tears. It was so good to see her. And she didn't seem hate me. She'd missed me.

She pulled away and smiled, her own tears making her eyes shine. "I'm so glad it's you. I missed you so much. We all have."

"I know," I said smiling back at her. "I missed you guys, too. So much. I'm sorry I couldn't visit or anything. You know how the Alchemists are though."

She nodded and I realized she probably understood about the Alchemists better than the others did. She'd seen and heard all about them through the spirit bond she shared with Adrian.

_Adrian_.

I hadn't dared think that name in so long. Certainly not since I found out I was coming to Court. It wasn't like he'd be here waiting for me. He was probably still out in California somewhere. Hopefully still attending a college or doing something with his art.

The thought of him unleashed a variety of different emotions within me and I could barely pretend to be listening to whatever Jill was rambling on about.

Out of everyone, Adrian and I were the only ones who hadn't been on the best terms when I'd left. He'd been in love with me and I had to admit, at least to myself, that I'd cared for him too. Maybe I'd even loved him. In the end, he was angry with me because I'd refused to give up the Alchemists and take control of my life. I'd argued that he was only saying that because I didn't choose him. I had made my decision based on what I thought was best and I _had_ been in control.

I reminded myself of that every night when I fell asleep and every morning when I woke up alone.

"Everyone is going to be psyched when they see it's you," Jill was saying. She grabbed my hand and tugged me out the door. "Come on. You're ready, right? You weren't in the middle of doing something?" she asked as an afterthought.

I told her I was ready, even though I wasn't. I wasn't ready at all, even with Jill's warm reception. But that didn't stop me from following her through the halls and into the Queen's Chambers, as Jill called them.

It turned out it wasn't her living quarters as I'd been expecting. The Queen's Chambers were nothing more than a regular looking conference room. Other than the huge and expensive mahogany table in the center of the room you wouldn't have thought this place fit for a queen. Maybe a CEO.

I wondered, briefly, if Lissa thought of herself more of a CEO than a Queen at all. From the way she sat at the table, people and papers all around her, I thought she might.

"Rose, Lissa," Jill called across the room excitedly. "Look who's here!"

She pushed me into the room ahead of her. From my new vantage point I could see Rose standing at attention off to the left of Lissa. When she saw me she broke into a smile and walked over. Lissa put down the paper she was reading and stood.

"Give us a few minutes," she said to the flurry of people around her. I figured they must have been a mix of guardians and other royals she was working with. The people left instantly, closing the door behind them just as Rose dragged me into a hug.

"It's so good to see, Sydney. We didn't know they were sending you," she said.

I smiled but was unsure what to say. Especially when Lissa came over and gave me a small hug.

"Jill, call Eddie and Angeline. Tell them they'll be needed tonight." She turned back to me. "They're going to so happy to see you. We'll have to have dinner tonight. Adrian might even show up for once."

My heart squeezed painfully in my chest at his name. My first thought was, _Adrian's here?_ followed immediately by, _He might show up?_ I turned to look at Jill, but the second our eyes met she pulled out her phone and started texting. She refused to look at me.

I put on my best smile and said how great dinner would be and then asked if Lissa was ready for our meeting. She'd seen no reason to put it off when we were both right here, so we'd gotten it out of the way. Really, I was just updating her about the Alchemists' experiments with vampire blood and spirit and she'd done the same with the Moroi research.

"Is Sonya still working on it?" I asked. Sonya had been such a strong proponent of spirit research and finding a cure for Strigoi that I doubted she would have quit.

"She is," Rose informed me. "Adrian's been doing a lot, as well. Between that and school he's barely had any time to party or get wasted. Or even show up at group dinners," she muttered under her breath like it was a fact that annoyed her.

She laughed like it was a joke, but her words effected me in a way she'd never realize.

Adrian was still researching spirit? And he was in school?

My heart thrummed with pride and joy, but it was double sided. I was proud of him and excited to possibly see him, but could I see him? Could I stand to physically be in the same room as someone I'd hurt so badly? I wasn't sure.

I was such a coward.

When we were finished Rose walked me out. "I'm glad they sent you, Sydney. Everyone's really missed you and I know they'll be happy to see you at dinner."

"And I can't wait to see them," I said sincerely. No matter what a terrible coward I was, I really was glad to see my friends again.

"Can you find your way back to your room?" She asked. I assured her I could handle it and set out to retrace my steps back through the halls.

Ten minutes later I wasn't sure why I hadn't just asked for help. I felt like I'd been wandering in a circle since parting ways with Rose. I took a breath, trying to remember which direction I'd come from, but it was no use. Instead of continuing my useless search I headed back to the main entrance. Certainly I could find way to my room from there.

I'd just made my way back to the beautiful palace foyer when someone came in through the front door.

As soon as I saw him I stopped in my tracks. _He looks exactly the same_, I thought. Tall, pale, dark brown hair styled in a messy but attractive way. He was still annoyingly good looking and time had only managed to make him seem more appealing. His green eyes, greener than anyone I'd ever met, went wide when he noticed me standing there. But he didn't look shocked to see me. Just shocked to see me there, in the foyer.

Jill told him, I realized. She must have called him or text him. Because as Adrian walked slowly across the foyer towards me, he looked calm and collected. Like he was ready for me.

Well, at least one of us was ready for this, because I certainly wasn't. In all honesty, I'd been sort of glad for being lost in the halls. It kept me from going back to my room and worrying about seeing him for the next few hours.

I watched his eyes travel up and down my body once before settling on my face. I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. The girl who broke his heart? A coward who wasn't strong enough to break through a lifetime of indoctrinated prejudices? Or maybe he just saw a deer in the headlights. That's what I felt like as I stared back at him.

"Hey," he said as he approached.

"Hey," I whispered back. I hadn't meant to whisper, but my voice, the traitor, had decided to stop working. I knew he could still hear me though.

"So..." He stepped closer, close enough that I could reach out and touch him now. Just lift my hand and touch his arm. That was all I'd have to do.

"So." I wanted to smack myself after the word left my lips. _So_? Was I trying to make him never speak to me again? I was lucky to even get a _so_ out of him after the way we'd left things.

I watched his throat bob up and down as he searched for something to say. My face felt warm all of a sudden and I just wanted to run away. I needed to get away. But where was I going to go? My room? I didn't even know where it was!

"I can't find my room," I blurted, then felt stupid about it when he gave me a weird look.

"Which wing were you in? Do you know?" he asked awkwardly, jumping on the topic. He looked just as nervous as I felt. His usual cool, confident demeanor had apparently split at the same time my voice did.

"Uh... Not really. I was, um, over there somewhere. I think," I mumbled pointing to my right. It was a lame explanation, but Adrian just nodded and motioned for me to follow him.

_Great, Sydney. Make him think you've become an idiot over the past year._ And then I had an even worse thought. _Oh, no! I basically just invited him back to my room!_

I squeezed my eyes shut and resisted the urge to smack my palm against my forehead, but I followed him down the hall anyway.

_Talk to him, Sydney. Say something._

"So," I said as we walked. "How have you been?"

_Good. That's good. That's a normal question to ask someone you haven't seen in awhile._

"Uh," he said, looking back over his shoulder at me. He slowed down and let me catch up to him so we were walking side by side. "I've been fine. Been busy. Married and have a kid now."

His tone was so casual I didn't realize what he'd said at first, but when I did I stopped walking. "_What_?"

He had stopped when I had, clearly expecting my reaction. He laughed, hard, at the look on my face. "It was a joke, Sage. Relax."

I rolled my eyes, feeling stupid for falling for his joke. "Well, it wasn't very funny," I mumbled trying to sound cross, but inside all I felt was relief. He called me Sage. I missed that.

Adrian was still watching me, an amused smirk on his face now. My heart sped up a little. I'd forgotten how attractive that look was. How insanely kissable that smirk could be.

"How have you been?" he asked. "Got a boyfriend I need to know about?"

"No," I said quickly, before realizing that I'd fallen into his trap. "I mean, you don't need to know about anyone. I mean, it's none of your business."

He leaned back against the wall across from me, still smirking. "So you do have a boyfriend or...?"

I sighed, exaggerating my annoyance. I was annoyed, but it was also kind of fun having him tease me the way he used to. "I don't have a boyfriend," I said. "But it's none of your business."

"Well, sorry," he said, touching his hand to his heart in mock hurt. "I was just wondering, you know, since you asked me to find a room with you."

I blushed. "I asked you to find _my_ room! Because I was lost! Not because I wanted to—"

"Wanted to what, Sage? What dirty things are you thinking about doing to me?" He grinned at me, enjoying the glare I was giving him.

"Adrian!" I complained. "You know perfectly well—"

But I didn't need to finish. He was already laughing again.

"I've missed getting you all riled up, Sage," he said warmly, causing a nice feeling to spread through my chest. His smirk turned into a real smile. "I've missed a lot of things about you."

I could feel my cheeks getting warm, but I refused to acknowledge it.

"Rose said you were still in school?" I said slowly, trying to steer the conversation away from me.

"Yeah. I transferred to a local art school. It's not as nice as Carlton was, but, like I said, it's local and I'm close enough to keep up the research with Sonya."

"You don't live here?" I asked, confused. "At the Court?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No. No, Court life is not for me. I thought we'd already gone over all this, Sage. Me and Court have never gotten along."

"Court and _I_," I corrected causing him to grin.

"I have an apartment about a half hour away. It's a human school so my hours are totally flipped around from everyone here anyway. I only stop in here when they need me for spirit stuff." He shrugged like him living on his own and going to school was no big deal, but pride still filled me at the knowledge. "I like it better that way. Being alone has its benefits."

"Yeah," I nodded. Being alone was so much easier than being around people. Especially when they weren't the one person you really wanted to be around.

"Sage," he said softly. "Sydney..."

My name was sounded like velvet on his lips, like he hadn't said my name in a year and was just now getting to say it again. He took a step towards me, his hand reaching out like he wanted to pull me to him. I cleared my throat and started walking again.

"There can't be that many rooms in this place," I said, hoping he'd let go of whatever he'd been about to say. "We've got to be close, right?"

I was a few feet away when I felt his hand wrap around my wrist and suddenly I was being dragged into an empty sitting room.

"Adrian!"

He closed the door behind us and then pushed me up against it.

"No, Sage," he said firmly. "It's time. You know it is. This has gone on long enough."

"What are you talking about?" My whisper sounded hoarse, rough, like my throat had gone dry. Pretending I had no clue what he was saying was easier than admitting I knew exactly what he was talking about.

His right hand pressed against the door by my head, while his left grabbed at my hip. "I gave you a year. An entire year, Sage. I didn't bother you once, even though I wanted to everyday. I wanted to call you, I wanted to visit your dreams. I wrote you emails everyday, but never sent them. It was torture without you. And I know," he said as he tightened his grip on my hips, pulling me into him. "I know it sucked for you, too. Don't pretend it didn't."

"Adrian, stop," I murmured, but I didn't push him away. I started to, I swear, but the second my hands touched his shoulders they took off like they had a mind of their own and wrapped around his neck. I pulled myself closer to him and he slid his other hand around my waist in response, lifting me off the floor. My legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him even closer until our bodies were flush with one another.

This was what I had wanted. Secretly, deep down inside, in a place I'd never admit, I'd wanted him to call me. I'd hoped he'd visit me in my dreams every night. I'd imagined what it would be like if he'd shown up at that damn Alchemist office I worked in everyday. I prayed he'd come. And when he hadn't I'd had to live with the fact that it was my fault. I'd pushed him away one too many times. I'd stupidly thought that I could do it, that I could live without him, that my loyalty to the Alchemists would get me through. But it hadn't. It didn't. It never would when I knew I could have this.

I breathed his name against his lips and closed my eyes, waiting for him to close the remaining space between us. My nose brushed against his, his warm breath hot on my skin. But he didn't kiss me. Instead he pulled at my knees, prying me off of him, and placed me back on the floor. His breathing was heavy as he backed away from me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused as to why he stopped. I wanted to kiss him now. I wanted to touch him, to feel him against me. I couldn't believe I'd ever left him for a whole year. How had I survived without seeing him everyday? Without hearing his voice or having his pretty green eyes lock onto mine? I suddenly needed to kiss him so badly I thought I might explode if I didn't.

"I can't." He shook his head, sitting down on one of the couches. He dropped his head into his hands, mussing up his perfectly styled hair.

"Why not?" I followed him over, but when I went to sit next to him an idea so horrible popped into my head that I just stood there staring at him.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked, a cold, hollow feeling rushing over me. I didn't even want to know the answer.

Adrian laughed humorlessly and shook his head. "No, I don't have a girlfriend. That's the problem, Sage." He leaned back against the couch and looked me in the eye. "I can't do this because you're only going to run away again after I kiss you. You always will, no matter how much you want me. I can't keep doing this to myself. I can't keep getting my hopes up only to—"

He never finished his sentence because I did something to stop him. I wanted to stop everything he was saying, everything he was thinking about me. I didn't want him to be right. I didn't want to be a coward. I climbed onto his lap, straddling his hips and lowered my mouth to his.

He kissed me back after a moment's hesitation, a moment that nearly killed me because every insecure thought I'd ever had jumped into my brain while I waited for him to respond.

Was I too aggressive? Maybe I was a bad kisser? Bad breath? Not pretty enough? Maybe he just didn't want me anymore? I was too much of a hassle, like he said—

"Mmmmm," he groaned, pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around me and then all thought sizzled out and all I knew were his lips against mine.

After a few minutes I pulled back, needing to breath. Adrian was panting just as hard as I was, but he still tried to kiss me again.

"Just," I said breathing heavily and holding up a finger, "just... one minute."

Adrian smirked, despite the lack of oxygen and lifted me off of his lap so we were seated side by side. He wrapped an arm around me and buried his head in my shoulder. "You can have another year if you want," he said, kissing the bare skin above my collar. "That kiss was totally worth the wait."

I laughed, finally feeling relaxed for the first time in over a year. "Really?" I teased. "Because I'm willing to bet that was beginner's luck. Practice makes perfect, you know."

"Oh, believe me," he said, face still buried in my hair. "I know. And we're definitely going to practice. Can't have you being less than the best at something, can we?"

"Me?" I laughed. "I was talking about you."

He pulled back then, giving me his devil-may-care smile. "So, Sage, master kisser, teach me everything you know, then."

I gave him a wicked smile of my own, egged on by a year's worth of desire for him, before leaning in again to meet his lips. His grin faded and he kissed me back, harder than I was expecting. He lowered me to the couch, his tongue and teeth eliciting all sorts of sounds from me. Our hands were everywhere, greedily trying to get as much contact as possible before the bliss of the moment inevitably ended.

When it did, minutes or hours later, I didn't know, we laid together. The only noise coming from the sounds of our uneven breath. Adrian scooted down a little and rested his head on my chest.

"This sweater is really soft," he said as he nuzzled his cheek into my breasts. "Is it cashmere?"

I laughed and pulled his head up a little. My humor faded when I broached the topic he was trying to avoid. "I have to go back tomorrow," I said softly.

Adrian sighed and squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's not that I want to," I said quickly. "I don't want to run away from you. But I can't just not go back."

Adrian leaned up and brushed a strand of hair from my face, revealing the golden lily tattooed on my cheek. He kissed it softly and then pulled back to look at me. "It's okay. It's your job, I get that. I think you're working for a bunch of untrustworthy assholes, but it's up to you if you're ready to leave them or not."

"Adrian," I began.

"No, Sage. Just listen," he said. "This is your decision to make. I love you, even after being away from you for a year. I love you, I can't stop. I tried, not in the very beginning, but eventually. I dated. It didn't matter. All I wanted was you. So if you aren't ready yet, then I'll wait. For as long as you need."

His face was so sincere, so open. I knew he really would wait forever for me, but that wasn't what I wanted.

"I don't want you to have to wait for me," I said softly. When he started to interrupt I put a finger against his lips to silence him. "I don't want to wait either. You were right. It sucked to be away from you, it was torture everyday."

"So then, what do we do?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess... I guess we figure it out. We can email and talk on the phone." I smiled up at him. "I almost called you at least once a day for the first couple of months. Like, scrolled through my contacts to call you. After that I only started _thinking_ about calling several times a day."

He grinned and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around him and didn't let go, even when he pulled away.

"Can I visit you?" he asked. "Whether in real life or in your dreams, it doesn't matter, but can I? Phone calls and email can only go so far," he said.

"You don't want to talk to me?" I play pouted, which amused him. He kissed me again.

"I want to talk to you, Sage. Believe me, I do. And we're going to pull a few all-nighters catching up on the phone, but... It's not the same as touching you, kissing you." He nuzzled his nose into the curve of my neck. "God, I've missed you. All of you. Your hair, your lips, your scent, your voice. Don't leave me again."

The pleading sound in his voice crushed me. "I'm not. I'm not leaving. Not like last time." I hugged him tighter. "I promise. And yes, you can visit."

He looked startled when he looked up at me. "Really?"

"Yes. But we have to be careful if you're going to visit in real life. Dreams are different, but you know how I feel about them. Maybe... maybe we can take it slowly. Try one and see how it goes."

"Anything you want," he smiled and kissed me. Much to my disappointment he sat up and pulled me with him. "We can take this as slow as you need to. But for right now, let's go find your room, okay?"

I nodded and stood up to follow him back out of the sitting room. I was surprised when we turned the opposite direction we'd been going when we came down this hall.

"Wasn't it the other way?" I asked him.

Adrian smiled sheepishly and took my hand, lacing our finger together. "You're actually down the other way, in the East wing." At my confused look he added, "Jill told me which room you were staying in. So I could come talk to you later. She didn't know I was going to race over as soon as I heard you were here."

I opened my mouth, unsure if I was going to laugh or yell at him for leading me around the halls just so he could talk to me. I never got the chance to find out. Adrian crushed his lips to mine and any amusement or anger fizzled out on the spot. When I pulled back I took a deep breath and murmured against his lips, "We should really find my room. Fast."

Adrian laughed—sounding happy and that made me so happy—and pulled me down the hall after him. "So much for taking it slow."


	19. Choices

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**We're getting close to the release of TIS now. I'm so excited! Anyway, here's another one shot to help you combat the wait! Review and let me know what you think!**

**P.S. I'm running low on ideas for one shots. I still have a few you guys have suggested, but I need help thinking of some more. Is there anything you guys would like to see? Or maybe you could send in a few title prompts and I'll see if I can come up with anything?**

Sonya's greenhouse wedding was beautiful. More than beautiful. It was like a dream. Sonya had looked stunning in her wedding dress and Mikhail had looked handsome as he beamed at her from the altar. Everything, down to the bridesmaids dresses, was perfect.

Right up until the reception.

It was also held in the greenhouse and was just as beautiful and romantic as the wedding had been. What made it slightly less than perfect was the fact that Adrian was currently squeezing his glass of vodka so hard I thought it might shatter.

The two of us hadn't really spoken much since the reception started. I'd found a seat at one of the small tables in the back while Adrian had staked out the bar. Ever since our talk on the plane, I hadn't been able to look at Adrian the same way. His words, _I'll just keep loving you whether you want me to or not_, kept running through my head. It had made all attempts at conversation with him extremely awkward. But at this moment, watching his taut expression from my seat across the room, all thoughts of awkward small talk flew out the window.

I stood and hurried over to where he was standing near the bar, engrossed in a conversation I knew he wanted no part of. I paused beside him, touching him lightly on the arm to let him know I was there. He blinked, staring down at me like I was the last person he expected to see.

"Hi," I said, interjecting myself into the conversation. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I really need to steal Adrian away for a second, Mr. Ivashkov."

Adrian's father was staring hard at his son and I wasn't sure he'd heard me. Adrian stepped in, introducing us again.

"Dad, you remember Sydney." His voice sounded strained and I wished I knew what they had been discussing before I came over. I was sure it was nothing good.

"Oh," Nathan said blinking at me, seeming to realize I was there for the first time. "You're still wasting your time with him, Miss... Sage, was it?"

"I'm..." His question threw me off. There was almost no way to answer it without letting him think Adrian was a waste of time, or that I thought that he wasn't. Oh, well. Whatever his father thought about us, Adrian deserved to have someone stand up for him. "Adrian's not a waste of my time, sir. He's the brightest, most talented person I know."

Adrian gave me a small smile, amused that I was sticking up for him again—especially after everything that had happened between us—but Nathan just blinked again, unimpressed by my opinion of his son. He sighed like we were a couple of unruly children testing his patience. "Yes, my son, the _artist_. But what good will art do him in the real world? I've been trying to offer him the opportunity to have a real job, Miss Sage. To have status and respect within the community, to not be the laughing stock of the Court for once."

Adrian kept his expression neutral, taking a sip of his drink, but every muscle in his body was taut with stress. Like the last time we'd seen his father, his hands were shaking a little. I wasn't sure if he was holding himself in check, or stopping himself from showing just how much his father's words hurt him.

"Lord Ivashkov," I said, keeping my voice even and respectful. I figured if I lost control and went off on him he was less likely to listen or care what I had to say. Although I really doubted he would do either of those things no matter what I did or said. "Adrian is a talented artist. He's doing very well in school. I understand a lot of people never make it as an artist, but Adrian could. He has the talent and the drive—"

"The drive?" Nathan scoffed. "My son barely has the drive to get out of bed most days." He took a sip of what I assumed was gin and looked back to Adrian. Apparently he was done with me. "I want you to come home now, Adrian. You've fooled around enough out in California. You'll come back to Court and work for me. You'll find yourself a nice royal girl and be able to provide for her the way you should."

The idea of Adrian marrying someone, anyone, gave me pause. I hadn't really thought about it before. I'd told him he should move on, sure, but hadn't thought about what it would mean if he actually did it. A hollow feeling I didn't like crept into my chest at the thought, but I shoved it away.

Adrian was shaking his head like he'd already gone over this. "Dad, I'm not coming back. I can't. I don't want to be you. I don't want to marry some girl I don't love and then cheat on her every chance I get."

Nathan's face went paler than I thought possible. "_That's enough_!" he hissed. "You'll come home or you'll be cut off from the money again. So help me, I might even dissolve your trust fund if you push me. You've sewn your wild oats or whatever it is you've been doing all this time. My God," he said, shaking his head. "You've even gotten an Alchemist to spread her legs for you. You should be proud. I've never met anyone who's achieved that particular accomplishment before. But we've all got to grow up some time, son."

It was like the world slowed down for a moment. Nathan kept talking, he even smiled like he really was proud of Adrian for his sexual conquests. All I could do was blink.

_You've even gotten an Alchemist to spread her legs for you._

He thought that we'd...

All of a sudden time sped up again and then everything was happening so fast I could barely process it, let alone try to stop it.

Adrian's fist flew through the air, connecting solidly with his father's jaw. Nathan grunted in pain and fell backwards, landing on the floor with a thud. Because of the force of the punch, Adrian's drink spilled all over both of us before falling from his hand and shattering on the polished cement floor. All of these things happened, but all I could do was watch with my mouth hanging open.

Adrian stood next to me a moment, breathing heavily and glaring at his father. When Nathan sat up and rubbed his jaw Adrian leaned down a little and looked him in the eyes.

"Don't you _ever_ speak about her like that," he growled. His father flinched back at his tone and I didn't blame him. I'd heard Adrian get protective and even angry before, but I'd never heard him rage like this. He sounded murderous, his voice low and deadly. Finally, Adrian stood straight again, looking down at his father on the floor. "I told you. I will never be _you_, Dad. I'm not coming back to Court and you're going to quit asking."

Adrian reached out, taking my hand, before pulling me through the crowd toward one of the vine covered, greenhouse doors to the patio outside. As soon as we were outside in the crisp night air he dropped my hand and leaned against the railing of the patio, hanging his head. I rubbed his back gently, telling him to try to breath deeply and calm down a little.

I'd never seen him so worked up before. His hands were shaking from anger, or maybe the adrenaline rush that came along with hitting his father. A few seconds later the patio doors opened again and I turned around to see a familiar group of confused looking Moroi and dhampirs watching us.

"Is everyone okay?" Dimitri asked as he took in Adrian's shaky presence. He looked at me, his eyes falling on my dress. I looked down too and realized that the whole front of the silk dress was soaked from Adrian's spilt vodka. "Sydney, do you want my coat? You must be freezing out here."

Adrian spun to look at me, noticing my wet dress. "Oh, shit, Sage. I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

He handed me his jacket before Dimitri could take his off and I pulled it around my shoulders. I wasn't that cold, but once the jacket was on I felt a lot more comfortable. And the scent of Adrian's cologne wafting around me relaxed me a little.

"Adrian, what happened?" asked Rose cautiously.

"I'm sorry, Sonya" he said, ignoring Rose and turning back around to look into the snowy night. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

Sonya, still wearing her wedding dress, looked at a loss for words. "I know, Adrian," she said. "But did you really have to knock your father out in the middle of my wedding reception?"

"I didn't knock him out," Adrian clarified. "Just knocked him on his ass. He'll be fine. Although I hope it hurts like a bitch for a couple of days."

When Sonya pressed her lips together in an angry line looking like she was going to say something, something Adrian didn't need to hear right now, I immediately jumped in. "He said something crude about me. Adrian was defending me."

They all looked slightly taken aback by the news. Sonya looked at Adrian for confirmation.

"I wasn't going to let him get away with that," he said quietly. "Sorry it messed up your wedding, but he deserved it. He was being an asshole."

"What did he say about you, Sydney?" Sonya asked, seeming to forget she'd just been angry at Adrian. I took it as a compliment that she looked shocked that anyone would say something bad about me.

"Nothing," Adrian said. He sounded tired now that the adrenaline was fading. "It doesn't matter."

Rose didn't like that answer. "You can't say it was nothing. You hit your dad because of it. You've got to tell us."

I shook my head. "You just want to know the gossip," I said in what I hoped was a light tone, rolling my eyes a little.

She shook her head fiercely and pointed at the doors leading back to the reception. "I want to know if I have to go back in there and kick someone's ass for talking crap about my friend."

I snorted. "I think Adrian already handled that."

Adrian stood up straighter. "Damn right."

Rose looked between the two of us for a moment. "Whatever he said, it must have been bad for you to hit the guy. I didn't even know you knew how to throw a punch."

She'd said it lightly enough, but it seemed to set Adrian off further. "I can do a lot of things, Rose. I don't need you or my dad telling me what I can and can't do."

I put my hand on the small of his back again, hoping it would calm him down. "That's not what she meant, Adrian," I said softly. So softly the others probably couldn't hear me, but Adrian did.

He glanced down at me and took a deep breath. After a moment he closed his eyes and apologized to everyone. "I think I just need to be alone for a few minutes," he added when he was done.

Rose and the others nodded, heading for the reception. Sonya paused for a moment, looking at Adrian even though his back was to her again. "You didn't ruin the wedding, Adrian," she said sincerely. "Standing up for someone you care about overshadows time and place. At least in my eyes." She shot me a small smile before walking through the doors and back to her party.

Adrian let out a breath once she was gone. I wasn't sure if he had meant for me to leave or not, but I stayed anyway. He was the one who had dragged me out here after all.

"I'm so sorry, Sage. I can't believe he said that about you. I mean, I knew my dad was a dick, but..." He slid his fingers through his hair, leaving it standing up at awkward angles. Somehow the look still worked for him though. "I should have hit him harder," he muttered to himself.

"No," I murmured, taking hold of one of his hands and giving it a slight squeeze. "You're better than that. What he said, it was ugly and undignified. He might be royal, but he certainly didn't act like it."

"And me punching him in face was so dignified?" Adrian asked, but there was a small smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back.

"You were defending my honor," I said. "That's noble, I'd say." My smile faded slightly as I broached a more serious topic. "And, I just want to say, I'm really proud of you for standing up to him. Regardless of whether hitting him was right or wrong, standing up to him was what you needed to do. He can't dictate your life for you. You have to choose for yourself what you want in this world."

Something flashed in Adrian's green eyes and then he surprised me by smirking. "Isn't that a little ironic of you, Sage? Telling me I need to make my own decisions and be my own person when there you are, letting the Alchemists dictate everything about _your_ life, down to the color clothing you wear?"

I frowned, thinking over what I'd just said. It did seem rather ironic, didn't it? I shook my head, trying to disregard it. "It's different for me. You have choices. And you shouldn't let your father stand in the way of them." I gave him a wry smile. "Do what I can't. Live your life the way you want to."

Adrian looked at me, sadness overtaking his expressing. "You have choices, too, Sydney," he said quietly. "Maybe yours are tougher to make than mine, but they're there. There are always choices."

I pushed his words to the back of my head for now. I didn't have the time or inclination to think about them now. I'd certainly be thinking enough about them later anyway, I thought, putting on a smile and looking back to Adrian. "Let's not let him ruin our night, okay?" I said, giving his hand another squeeze. "Let's go back in and have fun with our friends. It's getting cold out here anyway."

"I know a way we can warm up," Adrian said with a mischievous smirk, gripping my hand tighter and slowly pulling me forward. I let out a laugh and pulled away. He shrugged and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Alright. Let's go mingle, then," he said, leading me back to the party.

I probably should have shrugged his arm off of my shoulder, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. He wasn't having a great night, he could probably use the human contact, and I _was_ sort of cold now. I made a choice then to keep his arm around me, to hold on to the tingling sensation that was running through me at his proximity. It wasn't a huge choice or anything, not really, but it was choice that went against everything the Alchemists—everything my dad—had taught me.

I smiled to myself. Adrian had stood up to his dad tonight. Maybe it was time for the both of us to make a few choices of our own.


	20. Photo Album

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Can I just say, I love you guys. Seriously. I do. You're all amazing with your support and ideas. A lot of you want to see more future Sydrian, specifically Adrian and Sydney looking back on their lives when they were younger. I ran with that idea and hopefully what I came up with is cute and different and not just a boring rehash of things we all already know :)**

**Review and let me know what you think!**

Looking through photo albums with your parents is not the way most teenagers want to spend their day. It certainly wasn't the way I had planned to spend mine. Not only was it completely lame, but also, my parents were much cooler than this. And I know, thinking my parents were cool was just as lame as the photo album thing. But they were. And, also... well, it had sort of been my idea to rehash the past in the first place, so really I had no room to complain.

"Do you remember the day she said her first word?" Mom asked, smiling over at Dad and me while she flipped through the photo album.

We were all seated in our living room, me and Dad on the sofa and Mom in a reclining chair. She was pregnant again—six months, though she didn't look it—and it was good for her back, or something. It was cool, her being pregnant, but it was also gross because it meant my parents were still doing it. Just the thought made me want to gag. I mean, they were pretty young considering Mom had me when she was only nineteen, but still. "Parents" and "sex" should never be thought about in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence. I mean, I could barely handle the PDA that they rarely held back on in my presence. I didn't want to imagine what they did when I wasn't in the room!

"Yeah," Dad said, answering Mom's question. "She said, 'now', which only goes to show what a demanding little thing you are." He reached over and messed up my hair causing me to grimace and pull away.

"Daddy!" I complained, trying to straighten my long blonde hair back into place. He always did that even though he knew it drove me crazy. I shouldn't really complain, though. He could mess up my hair everyday for all I cared, as long as he was here.

I'd never really understood that my family was different from everyone else's. I mean, I knew we were _different_. Mom was a witch and Dad was Moroi, a vampire. Me and my sister, Lily, were both a weird mix of the two. Part dhampir, the result of a human/Moroi relationship, and part witch. As a result, we sort of inherited the best traits of both of our parents. Our Mom's magic and Dad's vampire blood. We were stronger and faster than most humans and because of our parents unique magical abilities, we were more powerful than most witches as well. So, yeah. We were definitely _different_.

But I hadn't realized that our family setup was so different from everyone else's. I'd grown up going to human schools, because my parents didn't want anyone in the Moroi world trying to exploit our unique power. I'd had human friends who lived in normal homes with their mom's and dad's. Now that I was a freshman in high school my parents had let me decide if I wanted to remain in normal school or... go in a different direction.

I'd asked what other directions there were and they'd told me, honestly. There were covens I could join for more intense magical training. I'd been trained by Mom, who was really good at magic even though she had never joined with a coven, but she said there were still a lot of benefits to training with a group of varied witches. Another option was to go to a Moroi school. I'd been intrigued by the second option.

Most Moroi academies were boarding schools, places where parents sent their dhampir children off to be taught how to fight or their Moroi children how to use their magic, but Mom and Dad didn't want me living on campus. I couldn't lie, I didn't really want to live on campus either. I'd miss my parents and Lily. Instead we moved into a house near campus so I could go to school every night—because the Academy was on Moroi time—but close enough to a human community that Lily could still go to public school during the day.

It wasn't until I'd made a few dhampir friends at St. Grigory's that I'd realized how strange my family actually was. My friend, Stacia, had stared at me wide eyed when I'd explained that I was living off campus with my parents and that, yes, my dad _did_ live with us.

"But, he's Moroi, right?" she'd asked. I'd thought it was the stupidest question I'd ever heard, until she'd followed it up with, "You're lucky. I wish I even knew who my dad was. He made my mom sign some sort of agreement saying she'd never out him has my father."

I'd heard the same thing from a bunch of other dhampir as well. It made me sad, but I now appreciated my dad a little more than I used to. I mean, I'd always loved him. He's, like, my best friend, which is a weird thing to say about your dad, but it was true. We'd always hung out and painted together in his art studio or teased Mom and Lily about their constant studying and obsession with classic cars. Although, I will admit, I did love the classics as much as the next girl. I just hadn't realized that what we had was out of the norm. That's why when I'd woken up this afternoon I'd casually asked about how Mom and Dad had met.

I knew the story, but only the SparkNotes version. They'd been sent away to Palm Springs to protect Aunt Jill when she was under attack by Moroi rebels trying to overthrow Aunt Lissa as queen. They'd met, become friends, and then fallen in love. I vaguely knew that some bad stuff had gone down before Mom was pregnant with me, or while she was pregnant with me, but no one really discussed it. So, when I asked, I asked about all of it.

"Here," Mom said, flipping to a page in the photo album and laughing. "I love this picture. It never gets old." She handed the album to Dad and he smiled at the photo before giving it to me.

I looked at the picture, noting it had clearly been taking with a camera phone and then printed out on glossy paper. Aunt Jill had demanded Mom send her any and all meaningful photos last year when she was going through her scrap booking phase. Like I said, Mom and Dad weren't lame enough to put a photo album together, but Aunt Jill was. Somehow, that lameness worked for her though.

The photo was of Mom when she was a little older than me. She was wearing business-like clothes, tailored khaki pants and a crisp white button down, and standing on a mini-golf course next to a plywood Dracula decoration, grinning like a crazy person. The golden lily tattoo on her cheek gleamed in the sunlight, unlike now. I'd never seen her tattoo so bright. Now it was faded, not nearly as pretty as it once was. I knew better than to ask about that though. It was a sore subject for my parents, even though I always saw Dad tracing his fingers over the golden swirls on Mom's cheek.

"That was taken, by Daddy actually, not long after we'd gotten to Palm Springs," Mom said. "We weren't really close back then, not by a long shot."

"Yeah," Dad said, grabbing the picture back from me. "I was an ass then, but you were so cute."

"Were?" Mom asked, sounding offended, but her amber eyes were twinkling playfully.

"_Are_," Dad corrected, making me laugh a little. "You look so cute today, did I tell you that?"

"Shut up," Mom said, laughing and grabbing the photo album back. She flipped a few pages and found another photo before showing it to me.

It was a group shot of Mom and Dad along with Aunt Jill, Uncle Eddie, Angeline, Sonya and Dimitri. They were all crowded in front of a couch in an old, antique looking living room.

"Jailbait wanted to take that photo. For posterity, or something, she said. The Palm Springs gang all together." Dad shook his head and took a better look at the photo. "I look hungover," he said, sounding disappointed.

"You were always hungover," Mom said. It didn't sound like she was joking, which was weird to think about because I couldn't remember Dad ever having more than a glass of wine on special occasions.

"Because of spirit, right?" I asked, intrigued. "You used to drink because you hadn't figured out how to control spirit yet?"

"Yeah," Dad said, flipping through the photo album. "That on top of other things."

"What other things?" I asked. I'd never known my dad as a drinker, but I knew he used to drink, heavily, when he was younger. People always eluded to it, but never came right out and said why and I'd never cared to ask when I was a kid.

Mom sat up straighter in her chair, leaning toward a little, and took Dad's hand. "Spirit was a huge part of that," she said.

"Another part was my strained relationship with my parents," Dad admitted, squeezing Mom's hand back. "I used to like to piss them off and nothing pissed my dad off more than me being drunk all the time. Plus, it helped me get through any lectures he tried to give me about how I needed to straighten out my life." He smiled a little and looked at me. "Don't do that, by the way. It's bad for you. Doesn't make anything better, just makes you numb to everything around you. Blah, blah, blah. You know the drill."

"I'm not planning to go and get wasted after this, Dad," I said, rolling my eyes. "Although, maybe I will if you don't get to something a little more interesting."

He laughed and rolled his green eyes right back. We had the same eyes. I was glad I'd inherited his, even though I sometimes envied Lily's golden eyes and all of the different shades of eye shadow she could wear with them.

"Alright, how about this," he said gamely. "Did you know Rose and I used to date?"

My eyes bugged out a little. "You used to date Rose? Like, _Aunt_ Rose?" I usually didn't call her that, she didn't like the formality of the title even though she constantly referred to me and Lily as her nieces. We weren't, not by blood anyway.

"Yeah," Dad said. "I met Rose first, at a ski lodge, and decided I had to have her. It was sort of a misguided-love-at-first-sight kinda thing. We dated for a bit, when Dimitri was... away."

I knew what he meant by that. Dimitri had told us the story of how he'd once been Strigoi. He didn't go into details except to say that Rose and Aunt Lissa had saved him.

Dad kept talking. "When she dumped me for him I was really angry. And depressed. I'm sure the spirit was fueling it, but at the time I felt like I was drowning in it." He brightened up and smiled at me. "Until your mom showed up and kicked my ass into gear. Then I was alright. But this picture," he said, tapping the group photo, "was taken before she managed to straighten me out completely."

I flipped the page and saw a cute picture of my parents sitting on a plaid couch and laughing at something the other had said. Clearly someone had taken the photo when they weren't paying attention. I could even see Uncle Eddie smiling with Angeline in the background.

"This," Dad said, grabbing the album, "is one of my favorite pictures ever." He studied the photo with a small smile on his face. "This was after I kissed you," he said to Mom.

"So you guys were dating?" I asked, genuinely curious. This was the part I didn't understand. I knew my parents loved each other, it was obvious to anyone in a ten mile radius, but what I didn't know was why they had chosen to be together. Human/Moroi relationships were taboo and I wasn't sure how they had gotten passed that stigma.

"No," Mom said, and her voice had a sad note to it. "I freaked out when he kissed me for the first time. I still maintain that my reasoning for doing so was sound," she said to my dad before looking back at me. "I was scared. Alchemists aren't supposed to even be friends with vampires. Kissing one was like the ultimate sin. I panicked." She shook her head slightly as if brushing away the memory of the feeling. "I was also caught slightly off guard. He sort of sprang this whole kiss and romantic speech on me. I wasn't ready for any of it."

"It wasn't like I'd planned it either," Dad said. "But you were there and you'd just broken up with that Holden guy—"

"Brayden," Mom said in a way that sounded automatic. Dad ignored her.

"—and you looked at me with those big, golden eyes and I couldn't help myself. You know I'm a total sucker for your eyes."

Mom smiled sweetly at him, making me feel like I was invading a personal moment, but then she looked back to me and the moment was over. "Our relationship wasn't great for a while after that. We'd become sort of unlikely friends, but after the kiss it all went up in smoke."

"I was a moody asshole," Dad explained. "I was mad that she ran away from me. From us. When I finally grew up a little and realized I needed to act like an adult about it things got better. Some of that had to do with your mom learning more about being a witch."

"It did. As I learned more I became more comfortable with magic," she admitted. "And I also became more resigned to the fact that I wasn't a regular human anymore. Or a regular Alchemist, anyway. But your dad also was pretty good at winning me over all by himself." She smiled at him again. "You always said the perfect things at the perfect times. You made me feel like I could survive everything that was happening."

"_Then_?" I asked getting impatient and also wanting to get them onto a different topic before I had to witness another case of parental PDA.

"_Then_," Dad said indulgently, "your mom finally succumbed to my wit and charm and we started dating." His face clouded over for a brief moment that told me were were finally getting to the good part. Or bad part, really. "We didn't have long before the Alchemists realized we were together. They didn't even question us or anything. Just kidnapped your mom in the middle of the night and took her away."

This is the part I sort of knew. "They took her to that Re-education place I heard Grandpa and Aunt Zoe talking about, right?" I asked.

"When did they tell you about that?" Mom asked looking a little angry.

"They didn't," I said quickly. "I sort of overheard them while they were in the kitchen. At Christmas a couple years ago. I just heard that you'd been there and that it wasn't... a good place to go," I finished lamely. Truth was, I hadn't heard much of their conversation at all because Dad and Lily were in the living room with Grandma watching _A Christmas Story_ and being all loud about it. But I'd gotten the gist of the conversation—and the movie. And it sounded to me like Re-education equaled bad news—and _A Christmas Story_ equaled lame.

"I asked them not to talk about Alchemist business in front of you girls," she muttered, more to herself than me. Soon though she turned back to me, giving me a small smile. "Re-education _is_ a bad place to be. It's for scaring unruly Alchemists straight. And my relationship with your father and being able to practice magic made me the unruliest of them all."

"So they locked you away just because you're a witch and fell in love?" I asked. That seemed highly unfair to me. It felt like everything was seeming more and more unfair recently. I suddenly appreciated all my parents went through to keep Lily and I in charge of our own lives and beliefs instead of getting bullied into a certain way of living and thinking.

"The Alchemists are rigid in their beliefs," Mom said. "You see the way Zoe and Grandpa are. And, believe me, they've lightened up a lot since before you were born. There was a time when I really didn't think they'd ever meet you."

"So what happened in Re-education?" I asked, getting back on topic.

"Well," Mom said thoughtfully. "The Alchemists usually... brainwash you there. Make you forget everything except the fear. But once they realized I was pregnant with you they didn't try any of that. They focused on my magic instead and let me give birth."

"So I was born in Re-education," I said. I'd already guessed as much. "Away from Dad."

Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a quick hug. "For a little while, but then I busted in all manly-like and rescued my girls."

Mom laughed. "Yeah. So manly. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw you." She flipped a few pages more in the photo album before finding a section dedicated to me and Lily. She pointed to a picture of her holding me in what appeared to be a sleazy motel room. "This was our first day out of Re-education."

I glanced down at the next photo. It was taken in the same flee-bag motel, but this time it was Dad who held me. I was only a month or two old I guessed, sleeping soundly nestled in a pink blanket in Dad's arms. His green eyes were wide, looking at me in shock and amazement. It suddenly occurred to me that this photo was probably of one of the first times he'd ever held me. The first time he even realized he had a daughter. The look of adoration on his face as he gazed down at me... It brought tears to my eyes.

"And you never thought about leaving?" I asked him, cautiously. "Even though... even though Moroi don't usually want to be associated with their dhampir kids?"

"Why would I leave?" he countered, a confused look on his face. "I fought hard for you and Lily and Mom. I wasn't going to throw that all away just because of some stupid Moroi prejudice. If your mom and me got through the threat of the Alchemists, a little old fashioned thinking wasn't going to stop us."

"I know," I said, nodding slowly.

"Adrianna," Dad said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders again. "What's got you talking about this? About me leaving?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing. Just... just some kids at school. They were asking about our family and they seemed really shocked that we all lived together. My friend, Stacia?" He nodded, recognizing the name from stories I'd told him. "She told me she didn't even know her dad because he made her mom sign some sort of nondisclosure agreement..."

I had to blink back a few tears, much to my embarrassment. Mom noticed and hurried over to the couch, sitting on my other side and wrapping her arms around me too. Suddenly, being squeezed in between both of my parents, I couldn't stop the tears.

"Oh, it's okay, baby," Mom crooned, holding me tight.

I shook her off, trying to hold my emotions in check. It was something I'd picked up from Mom. I was never as good at it as she was though. "I'm fine. I just got emotional for a second. I keep thinking, what if that was me? What would it be like to grow up without a dad?"

"You don't ever have to think about that," Dad said fiercely. "I've known a lot of Moroi men who have done things like that. And I never wanted to be one of them." He took my face in his hands and made me look at him. "Sweetheart, you and Lily and Mom and the new baby are my whole life. You're not my _dhampir_ daughter. You're my _daughter_. My beautiful, green eyed witch. Don't let those morons at that school put their archaic beliefs on you. You're not just a dhampir, or even a witch. You are an Ivashkov, and don't forget it."

He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head while I squeezed him as hard as I could. He was right. I knew that. I felt better hearing him say it though. Mom brushed my hair back from my cheek affectionately.

"Maybe you should take a break from St. Grigory's..." she said uncertainly, like she knew I was going to fight her on it. She was right.

"No," I exclaimed, sitting up and facing her. "I can handle it. I swear. I just got upset, like I said. I was feeling guilty about Stacia because I have a dad and she never will. It's unfair that people can be so careless to the needs of others. Their own children, for God's sake! It infuriated me. And I got to thinking about you and Daddy... how you, you know. Got over your differences and became a family?"

Mom smiled and pulled me close; Dad draped an arm around both of us. "It was a lot of things that got us past that. Love... love is a hard thing to walk away from, no matter what the consequences. And we both realized the same thing you did. That it's unfair for someone else to dictate how you live and who you love and what you're allowed to be. So we stood up for ourselves. Together."

"It was hard, kid," Dad said seriously. "I won't lie to you. It's always hard going against what people expect. But we had each other, and you to think about. We wanted better for you and Lily."

I hugged both of my parents. "And I appreciate it. I can't imagine growing up, knowing you were just the outcome of an ill-fated hookup."

We all laughed at that and, of course, _that_ was when the door opened and my little sister walked in, her short brown hair bobbing as she nodded to some song only she could hear. She pulled her earbuds out when she saw us all embracing on the couch, smiling and teary eyed.

Once she realized nothing was wrong she gave us a condescending look. "You guys are weird," was all she said.

We all laughed again and Dad said, "So are you, Lil Miss Sunshine. Now get over here. We're doing a group hug."

Lily smirked and then dove onto our laps, careful of Mom's baby bump. Dad tickled her and she wriggled away, laughing, until she was sitting on his other side, her legs draped across all three of us. "So what were you guys doing that made you cry?" she asked once she was situated.

"Nothing," Mom said smoothly. "We were just discussing baby names."

Dad reached over, resting a hand on her stomach. "I like Daisy," he said. "Or Violet." He shrugged, smirking much the same way Lily had when she walked in. "You know I have a thing for plant names."

"Hey!" I complained. "You didn't name me after a plant."

"No, even better," he laughed. "You got named after me. You're lucky Mom picked it. I would have named you Oleander..." He grimaced. "Or Hyacinth."

I laughed with the rest of my family, arguing over what names were perfect for the new baby, feeling lucky to have them. And not worrying about what the rest of the world thought of us.


	21. Balance

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Alright, so some of the aspects of this chapter might be a little technically farfetched, I'm not sure, but I had this idea and thought it was impossibly cute, so just go with me on it.**

**P.S. I remember watching that show ****_Brotherly Love_**** on Disney Channel when I was a kid and I'm pretty sure I remember Lou doing something sort of similar to this once. If you haven't seen that show, go look it up on YouTube. It's only got, like, one season and all the episodes are on there. Totally worth the watch.**

**Review and let me know what you think!**

There are plenty of beautiful things in this world. There was the Sistine Chapel, the _Mona Lisa_, Michelangelo's _David_, the flowers growing in the garden outside of Adrian's apartment building. But, I was sure, none of it could ever be more beautiful than the sight I had found myself looking at that afternoon.

Adrian Ivashkov. Standing shirtless and covered in paint in the middle of his living room.

That probably sounds a little more elicit than it actually was. See, after our little heart to heart on the plane ride to Sonya's wedding, Adrian and I had been trying to slowly ease our way back into a normal friendship. Since getting home two weeks ago we'd talked some more, hung out at Clarence's. He was even helping me practice some of those stupid spells Mrs. Terwilliger had suggested I learn. So, when he called me and asked if I could come over Saturday afternoon to help him out with a project for school I'd immediately said of course.

I'll admit, after the automatic response I'd gotten a little nervous about what he could possibly have in mind. I wasn't an artist. And although I did love art and art history, I had trouble interpreting most of Adrian's pieces. So, with trepidation, I'd showed up on his doorstep this afternoon, dressed in something I wasn't afraid to get messy, as per Adrian's orders.

Once I'd seen what he had set up, well... All my trepidation sort of melted away right on the spot, replaced by sheer amazement. His second-hand furniture had all been pushed to one side of the room and tarps covered the carpeting. A large canvas lay on the tarps. Adrian had painted rows of circles on it in different colors. Red, blue, yellow and green. I knew better than to think anything good could possibly come from this, but, despite myself, I was intrigued. And more than a little excited.

Adrian, despite his warnings to dress casually, wore dark designer jeans and a black T-shirt. Both shirt and jeans, however, were covered in paint splotches, so I guess it counted. Adrian took in my outfit with a grin. I was wearing a plain white T-shirt I sometimes wore while exercising and a pair of yoga pants. I figured these pieces wouldn't be hard to replace if I got paint on them. Adrian didn't seem to care about my clothing expenses, though. He just thought it was amusing to see me in something other than my "Alchemist uniform".

"Cute, Sage," he commented. "Although I would've loved to see you roll around in paint while wearing one of those tweed skirts. It probably would've created a nice effect."

I ignored his teasing jab at my wardrobe, but picked up on something else he'd said. "So I'm here to roll around in paint with you?" I asked, my hands on my hips. I wasn't sure if I should be outraged or not. Part of me wanted to yell at him. We'd been figuring out our friendship, finally, and now he had to go and try and make a move...

"Relax, Sage," Adrian said with a smile as if knowing exactly what was going through my mind. "It's nothing so sordid as what you're thinking, so get your mind out of the gutter. It's just Twister." He motioned toward the canvas as though it should have been obvious.

I stared back at him blankly. His jaw dropped.

"No," he said dramatically. "No, please, tell me you're joking. You've never heard of Twister? How is that possible?"

"I've heard of Twister," I explained, defensively. "I've just never played it before. I didn't have time—"

Adrian cut me off. "Well, you've got time now, Sage. So here." He handed me a rolling pin covered in blue paint.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, holding the dripping brush delicately between two fingers and angled away from my clothes.

"Roll it on," he said picking up his own rolling pin. His dripped red paint, a slightly different shade then the one used to paint the circles on the canvas. I realized my blue was a little different from the blue on the canvas as well. "Anywhere you might touch the canvas. Kick off your shoes. You'll need to coat your hands and feet too." He rolled up his jeans and then rolled a generous amount of red paint onto his knees and then the front of his shirt.

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously. "Why would I want to do that?"

Adrian sighed dramatically and paused what he was doing. "It's for my art class, Sage. The project is to create something in the post-modern style. We'll play Twister covered in paint so that we leave a trail behind us. It'll look cool. Besides I thought this would be more meaningful than painting a soup can," he added with a smirk.

I didn't laugh. I gave him a long, appraising look, trying to decide whether or not this was some sort of trick, and then finally decided I was already here. I might as well help him, right? He smiled a little as I began coating myself in paint and explained the rules.

"Don't fall," he said with a comically serious look on his face. "You can only touch the canvas on the colored circles selected by the spinning wheel. If you touch the canvas in any way, you lose." He smirked again. "Plus, everyone in my art class will see what terrible balance you have."

"Won't this paint dry on our clothes before it has a chance to transfer to the canvas?" I asked, ignoring him, and rolling paint onto the knees of my yoga pants.

"I mixed it with some chemicals to keep it wet longer," he explained. "It should work, but we'll keep the paint trays by the canvas, just in case we need to re-apply. You ready?" He held up a spinning wheel that had the four colors labeled on it as well as parts of the body. Right hand, right foot, left hand, left foot.

"Yeah," I said, cringing a little as I dipped one of my feet into the blue tray. It was wet and slimy and cold.

Adrian spun the wheel and we both watched as it turned and turned. "Left foot, yellow," he said and stepped onto a yellow spot on the canvas, his red painted foot leaving a mark as he stepped down.

I copied the action and looked up at him. "We're really gonna do this?" I asked.

Instead of answering me, Adrian spun the wheel again. "Right hand, green."

###

We'd been at it for about twenty minutes, both of us laughing at the funny positions the other was bent into. I had to admit, this was sort of fun.

"Right hand, blue," Adrian called.

I bent forward more, stretching my right arm out, and managed to plant my hand firmly on the blue circle. Adrian was still struggling behind me. He reached over, across my back, trying to maintain his balance. I figured it would have been easier for someone of his height, with a longer arm span than me, to reach the circles he needed to. But Adrian stumbled, his hand reaching automatically to catch himself. Problem was, the only thing to catch himself on was me. I felt the palm of his hand make contact with my butt as he swayed, trying not to topple over.

"Adrian!" I hissed over my shoulder. He immediately removed his hand, but didn't look apologetic whatsoever. As I looked back to where his hand had been I could just make out a few specks of red paint on my hip. No doubt from Adrian's right hand. Great. Now I had Adrian's red hand print painted on the seat of my yoga pants.

What were the people at Amberwood going to say when I came home with a guys handprint painted on my butt? Julia and Kristen would love that.

"You did that on purpose!" I accused. "You lured me here and set this whole thing up just so you'd have a reason to feel me up."

Adrian smirked. "Oh, shucks. You caught onto my master plan." He shook his head. "What are we? In eighth grade, Sage? I've got better moves than this if I wanted to feel you up. Would you like to see them?"

I blushed, turning my head away under the guise of readjusting my hands on the canvas. As he spoke his smirk had morphed into something far more suggestive and I couldn't look at him. I was almost mortified to know that he was standing above me, staring down at the mark he'd left on me when he fell...

"Hey!" I said, remembering the rules he'd laid out. "You fell!"

"No I'd didn't," he argued, all traces of suggestion gone from his tone as he got defensive. "I just lost my balance. That's allowed, as long as I don't fall on the canvas."

"But you fell on me," I pointed out. "That's the same thing. And," I drew out the word as I prepared for total victory, "your hand's still not touching the blue circle. So, that means you lose, right?"

I started to push myself up off of the canvas when Adrian's hands pushed me back down. "Not so fast, Sage," he said arrogantly. "I made up this little game we're playing."

"No you didn't," I said, pushing up again. "Milton Bradley did. And I'm not falling for this, Adrian. You lost, now let me up."

"Just one more turn, Sage. If I lose my balance again then I will gracefully bow out." His hand was flat on my back, still keeping me from standing. I wondered, briefly, if his hand print on my back would be as noticeable considering my back was already covered him paint.

I scoffed at that. "Gracefully bow out. You mean lose." Shaking my head at his arrogance I shrugged his hand off. "Fine. One more turn. But I get to spin the wheel. And you better get your hand on that blue spot."

Adrian agreed and, after a small readjustment of his feet, managed to place his palm on the blue circle. He was leaning over me a little, but thankfully wasn't touching me in anyway. I was worried that he'd end up making me fall and then claim victory by default. It would be just like him to do something like that.

I reached up with my left hand and grabbed the color wheel, dragging it closer and giving it a spin. "Right foot, red," I said, already planning how to maneuver myself into the correct position.

"Shit," Adrian murmured. He wasn't wrong to be upset about the outcome of the spin. It would be tricky to for him to get his right foot around me and across the canvas. Not impossible though with a little knowledge of physics and decent balance.

I lifted up on my palms a little and stretched my leg out sideways, easily landing on an open red spot about a foot and a half over. My foot, still coated in a decent amount of blue paint, made a squishing noise when I touched the canvas.

Adrian, in a halfhearted attempt not to touch me, tried to drape his long leg over my back, effectively stepping over me to get his right foot to that red circle. Unfortunately for him, and me as it turned out, stepping over me wasn't as easy as it would have been if he had been standing up. His foot clipped my back as I pushed up on my palms to reach the circle, causing him to stumble. He toppled forward, knocking me down and pinning me to the canvas. His right hand bracing himself on that stupid blue circle was the only thing that stopped him from crushing me completely.

I felt my paint stained T-shirt smush into the canvas, marking my failure for everyone to see. But I wasn't the one who had failed!

"Adrian!" I cried, trying to roll him off of me. He'd kept his weight off of me for the most part, but he was still pressed up against my back. He rolled sideways, onto his back. That made me feel a little better. His shirt was still just as paint covered as mine was and left a nice imprint on the canvas. At least he hadn't tried to pin the blame on me.

Adrian closed his eyes and laughed which, however unwanted the effect was, lightened my mood. Even though I wanted to be mad, I couldn't help but roll over onto my back and smile as well.

"See, Sage? That was fun. You should have more of it sometime," Adrian said, opening his eyes to look at me.

I shook my head and stared at him. "You fell on me. How is that fun?" I gestured to the canvas and paint beneath us. "Now it looks like we both lack balance."

Adrian stopped laughing for a moment, giving me an oddly serious look, much too serious for our current, comical, situation. "Believe me, Sage. If there's one thing you and I don't lack it's balance."

"What on earth does that mean?" I asked, leaning up on one elbow to look at him.

He just looked back, that serious expression still on his face for a moment before it melted into a smirk. "It means..." he said, drawing out the word as he reached over and dipped his hand into the paint tray, red paint dripping from his fingers as he pulled it out. "This!"

I screamed as he reached over and grabbed me, gooey red paint smearing over my arms and mixing with the blue paint on my T-shirt. I wriggled out of his grasp, laughing as I grabbed a fistful of paint from my own paint tray and whipped it back at him. He dove at me pinning me to the floor once more. We were both laughing and trying to smear as much paint on the other person as possible. Adrian reached up and traced his fingers across my tattooed cheek, leaving a smear of red paint in its wake.

That one small gesture changed the intensity of the situation enough that I started to feel uncomfortable. We were doing it again. Putting ourselves in the kind of awkward personal situation that I'd told him time and time again we should avoid. I couldn't really blame it all on him though. While he'd been tracing my cheek, I'd had my blue painted fingers tangled in his hair, and not only to turn it blue either.

I quickly disengaged from him, sitting up and then stepping off the canvas completely. He followed suit, staring back at our masterpiece.

"That's what you were hoping to accomplish?" I asked skeptically, looking down at the puddle of paint we'd left behind in our wake. There were handprints and footprints everywhere and I could see the outline of my body, two red knee prints on either side of it where Adrian had fallen. His body's outline was parallel to mine. Now that his red paint and my blue paint were beginning to mix together, purple swirls and patches were forming on the canvas in places both of our bodies had touched. It was a little startling because, even though we hadn't touched that much during the game—aside from out little paint fight at the end there—it was like he was everywhere I had been and vice versa. Somehow together, even in our separation.

It was strangely... beautiful.

Adrian, still looking at the canvas, wrinkled his nose a little. "Think I should have went with the soup can?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. No, actually, I think I get this now. It's thoughtful and smart. A statement about the entanglement of everyday life. How people cross paths without ever knowing it. I like it," I said, looking up at him.

Adrian smiled proudly, like I'd understood exactly what he'd set out to do with this project, but then that infuriatingly mischievous smirk took its place. "That's nice and all, Sage. But really I only went with Twister so I'd get to see you all pretzeled and covered in paint." He even winked at me.

I threw the closest thing to me. The red rolling pin. It hit him square in the chest and bounced off, causing him to laugh so hard he doubled over.

"Kidding, Sage," he said between gasps for air. "Just kidding."

"I know," I said seriously. "Doesn't mean I didn't want to throw something at you anyway."

He conceded the point with a shrug and a nod, then looked down at his shirt. "This is starting to dry to my skin," he said with a grimace. Then he reached for the hem and pulled the T-shirt over his head in one quick movement.

So, that's how I ended up staring at Adrian's bare, paint spotted chest. Staring wasn't even the right word. I was gawking. I couldn't look away. I even bit my lip a little, looking at his smooth skin. My only saving grace was that he wasn't looking at me. He didn't see the way my eyes followed the muscles in his shoulders down towards his surprisingly contoured abdomen, then even further down toward the V shape that disappeared into his jeans. He was too busy wiping his hands off on a clean rag and checking the time on his phone.

"Good," he said, finally looking back at me. I straightened out my expression, glad for all the practice I'd gotten from the Alchemists in hiding my thoughts. "We have time to go get lunch while this thing dries a little. You can go get cleaned up first."

"Oh," I laughed. "I'm getting lunch out of this too?"

"Of course," he said deadpan. "I never feel someone up without buying them some sort of meal."

He laughed and held up his hands in front of him, obviously seeing the desire to throw something at him flash across me face. "Kidding, kidding. But," he added, grabbing a clean T-shirt from a pile of laundry on his coffee table and tossing it to me, "you might want to put this on. There's a big red hand print on your butt. Wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

I turned away from him and headed toward the bathroom, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to break out on my face. He was infuriating, but I kind of liked it.

Once in the bathroom I peeled off my paint encrusted shirt and replaced it with Adrian's clean one. It was red and hung down to my mid-thigh, but it smelled like him. Like his detergent and cologne and just him. I looked up into the mirror to see how awful I looked after our little artistic endeavor.

I was covered in purple and red paint. I was almost surprised by how little of the original blue, that had been my color, was still visible. Adrian had left his mark on me it seemed. I realized that statement was even truer than I had originally thought when I glanced at my cheek. Painted over my lily tattoo was a brilliant red splotch. A splotch that just happened to be shaped like a heart.

_That's what Adrian was doing when he painted my cheek_, a part of me thought, calmly and rationally. The rest of me was going, _He painted a heart over the lily. He painted it right on top of the lily. Covered it up. Did he mean to do it? Is he trying to tell me something? Like that love can conquer all or..?_

_Stop it, Sydney. You're over thinking it. He loves you, he's told you that before, and he painted a heart on your cheek. That's it. That's why you shouldn't hang out with him in the first place._

I quickly brushed that thought aside though. I wanted to hang out with Adrian, even though I knew I shouldn't. I couldn't seem to force myself to stay away from him. I gave the heart on my cheek another look, thinking about washing it off, and then decided to leave it. I was never going to get the rest of the paint off of my face and arms and out of my hair. Why worry about a little heart shaped splotch on my cheek?

Adrian looked surprised when I came out of the bathroom, still mostly covered in paint. But it was my left cheek that his eyes lingered on. He smiled, now wearing new paint splattered jeans and a T-shirt, and held out a hand.

"Shall we?"

I smiled back—watching those brilliant green eyes focus time and time again on my painted cheek causing a strange flutter in my chest—and took his hand.


	22. Insecure

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This chapter is for Karina who suggested the topic. It caught my interest and before I knew it I had the whole thing written out. Hope you like it, Karina and everybody else :) Review and let me know what you think!**

Adrian trailed his fingers up and down my arm as he flipped through the channels on his flat screen TV. "You wanna come over tomorrow?" he asked. "We could hang out, get dinner, play Scrabble." He smirked. "You know, or _something_."

I grinned. Or _something_ usually ended with him on top of me on his couch and my shirt half off.

"Can't tomorrow," I said apologetically. "Brayden and I were planning to go see the Park Theatre Group's production of _The Taming of the Shrew_. Brayden says it's one of Shakespeare's least intellectual plays, verging on slapstick, but I think it's amusing. You have to be smart to write comedy well, otherwise it'll just come off as..." I trailed off as I realized Adrian was rolling his eyes.

"What?" I demanded.

"It's nothing," he said in a cold voice that made my stomach drop.

"No, what is it? Adrian? Tell me."

My voice sounded calm, comforting, but I was panicking on the inside. Adrian and I had been semi-dating, I guess you could call it, for a while now and he'd been in a really good mood lately. I hadn't noticed as many mood swings recently, certainly none that compared to this, and I was hoping it would stay that way. But his cloudy green eyes and brooding stare, which he had purposefully fixed on the carpet, were leading me to believe spirit might be hitting him right now. Hard.

"I don't like you hanging out with him," he muttered so softly I barely heard him.

"Who?" I asked stupidly. "Brayden? Why?"

"Because," was all he said. He still refused to look at me.

Was he jealous? It seemed like it, but Adrian wasn't really the jealous type. About a month ago, when Brayden had asked me at Spencer's if I'd ever want to hang out, strictly as friends, Adrian had actually encouraged me to accept the offer. He'd jokingly said hanging out with another nerd might be good for me from time to time. I mean, yeah, Brayden and I had been hanging out more than I thought we would, but not enough for Adrian to react like this. This was ridiculous. "We're going to see a play. Why in the world would that bother you?"

"It's not just the play," he hissed. "You've been out with him, like, four times in the last two weeks! It just bothers me."

"He's my friend, and you said it was okay!" I told him, still feeling more than a little confused by his attitude. "And we've only gone to the textile museum, the air museum, and the botanical gardens tour."

"Whatever," he said with a shake of his head.

"Don't whatever me, Adrian," I warned. "Just talk to me, because I really don't understand why this is bothering you so much."

"Because you can ask me to do those things with you, Sydney!" he shouted. I flinched back a little, caught off guard by the intensity of his voice. From the way he grimaced afterward, I guessed he hadn't meant to be quite that loud.

"I'm sorry," he said in a softer tone. "I didn't mean to yell, but it drives me crazy every time you go out with him."

I shook my head, feeling even more confused. I knew how Adrian felt about me, but he knew how I felt about Brayden. "We're just friends, Adrian. I swear."

"No, I know that," he said quickly. "And I'm not, like, jealous in _that_ way. It's..." He shook his head and then put his head in his hands.

"It's what?" I prompted. He looked up at me, but didn't say anything. Because maybe this was one of those social things that I just didn't understand and maybe he's wasn't saying exactly what he meant, I repeated myself. "I don't feel anything for him. It's not like what we have."

Adrian closed his eyes for a minute and then smiled at me. "I know," he said softly, taking my hand in his. "But when you go hang out with him and do all your little learning dates—"

"They aren't dates," I said, exasperated. He ignored me.

"—it makes me feel left out. Like you don't think..." He sighed and looked away. "Like you don't think I'm smart enough or something."

"Oh, Adrian, no!" I reached out and turned his face back to mine. "I would _never_ think that. How can _you_ think that? You're smart." I sat up a little straighter and pulled both of his hands into my lap, trying to show him I was serious. "Brayden and I may know random trivia but you're smart in the way that counts. You're good with people. When Brayden and I were at that textile factory tour last week, the tour guide told him he had really pretty eyes when she thought no one was listening. He went into a fifteen minute lecture about how the color of one's irises depends the frequency of the scattering of light in the stroma—"

"Yeah, Hayden's an ass," Adrian interrupted, "I understand that. But what does that have to do with me?"

I rolled my eyes. "He doesn't understand things the way you do. What good is being so smart if you can't connect to people?"

Adrian seemed to ponder this.

"So," he said thoughtfully after a moment, "you're saying that even though he's smarter than me, you still enjoy being around me more because I connect to you better?"

"He's not smarter than you," I snapped, getting annoyed with his attitude. "It's not a crime not to be able to name all of the Renaissance humanists. It's a trick of memory. Real knowledge, the knowledge _you_ have, is much more important." I gave him a small, flirty smile, hoping to distract him from whatever had spurred this negativity—I still believed it was spirit—and maybe even make him laugh. "And it's _much_ more attractive."

While he didn't laugh, he did smirk at me. "Well, I don't know anything about Renaissance humanists or whatever that is, but if you think that makes me more attractive than I guess I'll just have to live with that."

I rolled my eyes.

"Do you really not think you're one of the smartest people I know?" I asked him seriously. "Do you really think I'd be with you if you were stupid?"

"I didn't know we were together," he said with a challenging raise of his eyebrow.

I shrugged. "We're kind of together. Maybe not officially, that might never be able to happen, but you know what I mean. Adrian, everyone thinks I'm so smart, that I know everything, but sometimes the things you come up with blow me out of the water."

I pointed to the painting he had hanging on his living room wall. The golden lily he'd painted that day he'd first kissed me. It seemed like so long ago now, but it had only been a few months. "Do you really not see how smart something like that is? Any idiot can pick up a paint brush, but it takes intelligence and talent to come up with the paintings you do. Sure, Brayden can recite facts all day long, but he can't look at me and see straight to my soul the way you can. He can't observe a situation for five minutes and put together all these clues that would take me a week to figure out." I took his face in between my palms and leaned forward so we were only inches apart. "You are intelligent in all the ways that really count for anything."

We stayed that way for a few minutes, staring into each others eyes and breathing the same air, until he pulled away. I was a little disappointed at the loss of eye contact. There was almost nothing better than getting lost in Adrian's beautiful green eyes.

"Alright," he said finally. "You don't think I'm a big dumb dummy. But my question still remains. Why do you have to do all of these smart people activities with Brayden? Why not me? We never do any of the things you do with him."

I was caught off guard because he'd actually said Brayden's name correctly. "I... I don't know. I guess, I didn't think you'd be interested."

Adrian reached over, cupping my face in his palm, and I leaned into him. "If you're interested in it, I'm interested in it. I've told you, you make learning fun. I could listen to you talk about random facts all day long. And I mean _actually_ listen. Not just listen to the sound of your voice, but the actual meaning of your words." He gave me a proud looking smile and went on. "Do you remember, on the plane to Pennsylvania when I was doing a crossword, I asked you what a word for cotton gin pioneer was? You said _Whitney_. And those Greek women? The progressive, prostitute ones? They're called hetaerae. I remember everything you say."

I was a little stunned that her remembered any of that. And he'd remembered specifically because I was the one who'd said it? I didn't know why, but that thought made my heart swell in my chest.

"Do you want to go with me and Brayden tomorrow?" I asked cautiously. "I know you don't like him, but I can't really just bail on him."

"Do _you_ want me to go?" He seemed just as cautious as I was, and I realized something. Adrian was afraid I didn't want him in that part of my life. Whatever my friendship with Brayden meant to me, it meant something entirely different to Adrian.

"Of course!" I told him, laughing a little.

Adrian perked back up at that. He gave me a killer smile that had my heart rate increasing by the second. "Good. I was afraid you only kept me around for the kissing."

I sent him a smirk of my own and leaned forward to brush my lips lightly across his. "The kissing is good," I told him. "But I keep you around for your head and your heart."

I ran my fingers through his perfectly styled hair and then down his chest, placing my palm over his heart. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was beating just as fast as mine was. "You have a good heart, Adrian. The best."

He didn't say anything back, probably because he was too busy kissing me to form words. I know I was too into the kiss to even form thoughts, much less words. When we finally had to pull away for air we were both breathless and panting.

"You know," I said, trying to catch my breath. "If you come with us tomorrow, we're going to have to enact a no kissing rule. Or, a no flirting rule, actually."

Adrian gave me a disappointed pout.

"Brayden thinks you're my brother," I said unwavering. "There's no way around that."

"Fine," he agreed with a sigh. "I guess word getting around that we're an... unusually close family... wouldn't do anyone any good."

"No," I agreed with a laugh. "But, you know. After the play maybe we could come back here. Get some dinner, play some Scrabble." I mimicked his smirk from earlier. "Or, you know, _something_."

Adrian gave me a wicked smile before pinning me to the couch, eliciting a squeal of delight from me, one I didn't even feel the least bit embarrassed about as his lips descended on mine.


	23. Dream

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This one's sort of sad, so if it's a downer for you just know, I am currently working on a highly requested sequel chapter to... well, let's just say it's one of these One Shots. It's a secret ;)**

**Review and let me know what you think!**

I was standing in Clarence's living room.

I never thought I'd be so happy to see his antique furniture and creepy dark wood hallways. But the dream was a nice respite from the horror movie I was currently living.

"You're here," a relieved voice said from behind me, causing me to spin around so fast I nearly fell over.

"Adrian?"

And there he was, standing by the French doors leading into Clarence's billiard room, looking perfect. Well, actually he looked tired, and upset, and sort of like he wanted to cry, but still... Perfect.

"It worked," he was saying in this choked voice that I'd never heard from him before. "It didn't work the other times. What changed? Why can I contact you now?" He shook his head and stepped toward me. "You know what? Never mind."

He pulled me into a hug, burying his face in my hair and stifling a sob against my neck. I could feel him shaking against me. Shaking me with his silent tears. I realized I was crying too and closed my eyes against his shoulder.

"This is a spirit dream?" I asked cautiously. At one time, not too long ago, I would have been strongly opposed to Adrian using his magic to communicate with me, but now I was almost afraid to hope. To hope that this really was him squeezing me tightly to his chest and not some figment of my imagination or a trick the Alchemists were using to exploit my emotions.

Adrian finally collected himself enough to pull away from me but he didn't let me go. "Yeah," he said on a shaky breath. His beautiful green eyes looked red and puffy. I could only imagine what I must have looked like. "I've been trying, everyday, for weeks since you... left. This is the first time it's worked. Do you know why? Because I certainly don't."

I shook my head. I didn't know what had changed, but I was glad it did. I'd prayed every night that Adrian would meet me in my dreams. He knew how I felt about spirit, but I knew that wouldn't stop him from contacting me. Not in this case. When he hadn't come I knew something must be stopping him. I knew in my heart that he was out there, in the real world, looking for me every chance he got. He wouldn't just sit back and let the Alchemists have me. But I wasn't sure what could have been wrong. "They could have been giving me something, in my food maybe. Sleeping pills?" I finally answered.

Adrian reached up and smoothed my hair down, resting his forehead to mine. "It could have been. Any drugs block spirit, or magic, but you know that." His free hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. "I missed you so much, Sage. I've been looking for you. You don't happen to know where you are, do you?"

"I'm not sure," I sighed. "I know I'm in Re-education, but as far as location..." I thought for a few moments and then gave him an address in Virginia. "I don't know for sure I'm there. But it's the underground bunker where they were holding Keith when I saw him."

"You saw Keith?" he asked, surprised, and then shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I'll look into the address. And before you even say anything, Sage, we won't make a move until we have proof that that's where you're being held. Don't want the Alchemists catching wind of our escape plan."

I smiled up at him, tears forming in my eyes. He was looking for me. "We?" I asked, mostly to distract myself from the overwhelming emotions assaulting me. "Who's we?"

He smiled back and tugged me closer. "Let's get more comfortable, huh?"

Suddenly we weren't at Clarence's anymore, but in Adrian's apartment. In his bedroom. He pulled me down onto his silk sheets and laid down. I didn't even care how creepy it was to blink and be in a new location. The idea of lying down with him and letting him hold me was too inviting. I snuggled into his chest and breathed in the intoxicating scent of his cologne. Somehow he even smelled like it in the dream. Or maybe it was just my memory playing tricks on me.

"We've all been looking for you," he said once we were comfortably wrapped around each other in his large bed. "Me and Rose, mostly. Dimitri, too. The others help out in whatever ways they can. Jill wishes she could do more, but she's still in Palm Springs."

The irony of that didn't escape me. Here I was, being held somewhere against my will by the Alchemists as they did horrible things to me to make me realize how evil vampires were. And those very vampires they were trying to "save me" from were out there right now, trying desperately to rescue me from the Alchemists.

"And where are _you_?" I asked him, leaning up to look at him. His beautiful green eyes crinkled a little with a smile.

"I went back to Court. For a little while anyway." He stroked my hair again, looking at me like he was trying to memorize every plane and contour of my face. "Rose and Dimitri took up my plight. Lissa was able to get some leads for us to look into. Abe's actually been the biggest help, so far. He's like a master spy, or he's got master spies working for him. But then again Jackie's location spell hasn't come through yet."

"Mrs. Terwilliger?" I asked. I wasn't sure why the idea of her helping Adrian startled me so much. Maybe because she was my history teacher and her being so wrapped up in my personal life was just a little unsettling. But I was still grateful for her help. Then I realized what Adrian had said. "Wait. Abe's helping? Abe Mazur?"

Adrian smiled at me again. "Do you know a different Abe?" he teased.

"No," I admitted. "But why would he care? The only reason Abe ever helps anyone is if..."

I trailed off, horrified. "Adrian, what did you do? What did he make you promise?"

"Nothing," he whispered soothingly, but I could tell it wasn't nothing. "Mostly he's helping because of Rose. She's been really worried about you."

His change of subject was noted, but I went with it. For now.

"Well, you can tell her I'm fine. I'm strong. I can get through this."

Adrian gave me a proud look, but there was a deep sadness set into the curve of his lips, the green of his eyes. He looked worn and tired, like someone who'd been beaten down by life until they couldn't take it anymore. "My brave girl," he murmured. "I'm coming to get you. Just hold onto hope."

"You don't look like you have much hope these days." I said softly.

He kissed my forehead. "I have a lot more than I did before I fell asleep, that's for sure."

"I love you," I whispered, pulling his lips to mine.

We kissed, softly at first and then we lost ourselves in it. It was hard to keep my head when I was kissing Adrian, I'd always thought so. But after not having seen him in weeks, I could barely control myself. I flipped him onto his back, pushing him into the pillows. I wasn't usually the aggressive one in these situations. Usually when I did take control it was at Adrian's urging, but this was all me.

I straddled his waist, leaning down to press my lips to his neck and chest. Anywhere I could. He'd been wearing a shirt before we'd started kissing, but it had gone away at some point leaving his chest bare for me. My hands trailed down, my nails leaving faint scratch marks as they went. Adrian's responding groans spurred me on. When my fingers hit the button on his jeans he pulled my hands away and flipped me over, pinning me to the mattress.

"Not tonight," he murmured against my lips. "Maybe next time, but for tonight just let me worship you."

And then he did.

###

By the time we were finished an annoying buzzing sound, the kind you get when your ears ring, was going off in my head. At first I thought it was just the blood still pumping hard past my ears from all of Adrian's _worship_. But then he sighed, sounding annoyed, and I realized he could hear it too.

"Damn," Adrian muttered, pulling me close against him and wrapping his arms around me. "That's my alarm."

"Your alarm?" I asked, still feeling slightly dazed.

"Yeah," he nodded against my shoulder, giving it a kiss. "I set it before I went to sleep. I wanted to make sure I woke up as early as possible. I set it to go off low at first and gradually build higher, so I can hear it, but it won't wake me for another few minutes. That way I have some advance warning about when the dream's going to end."

"So we're going to wake up soon," I said sadly.

"Yeah," Adrian replied, kissing my cheek.

In that case...

"I don't like the idea of you working with Abe," I said quickly, hoping the end wasn't coming too soon.

Adrian sighed. "I know, but he didn't ask me for anything I wasn't willing to pay. I'd do anything for you."

I shook my head. "That's the problem." Abe would most certainly take advantage of Adrian's desperation.

Adrian ignored my comment and leaned forward to give me a kiss. "I love you. I'll visit you tomorrow. If I can't get through I'll keep trying. I'll keep trying until I'm with you again. In real life."

I stroked my fingertips across his sculpted cheekbones. "I know. I'll miss you."

The alarm was louder now. It was creating a pounding in my head that I wished would go away so that my last seconds with Adrian wouldn't have to be unpleasant.

"I'll find you, Sage," he whispered just as the dream faded.

I woke up in my bed, dripping in sweat. And tears, I realized. I was crying. I looked around the dark room, or cell if we were being honest, making sure I was alone before falling back to the mattress and escaping to the world of sleep once more.

His final words, _I'll find you, Sage_, playing on repeat in my head as I drifted off.


	24. Gossip

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**First, I'd like to let everyone know that I'm currently working on finishing Of Magic and Misery. I know there isn't much time left before TIS so I'm probably going to be uploading the last chapters (I'm thinking there are 3 left) in the last few days leading up to its release. So, I might not be uploading this story for a little bit. I've got some of these already written out or half written, so I might upload, I might not. It depends. But after OMM is finished expect some fun updates for this story.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a silly little story. Review and let me know what you think!**

"So," Lissa said slowly, awkwardly. "How are things with Adrian? The bond... Are you adjusting?"

Jill seemed just as awkward, regarding Lissa shyly before she nodded. "Yeah. It took a little getting used to, but it's not so bad. It's much better now, actually."

She lowered her gaze to the floor and bit her lip.

I huffed, internally, of course. This was ridiculous. They were sisters! They both needed to get used to it already. I knew it was a big adjustment, a huge one, but I couldn't take it anymore. I loved Jill, and Lissa was my best friend, but if I had to watch them tip toe around each other for even one more second—

"Have you learned more control?" Lissa asked, breaking me out of my silent tirade. At least she had asked this question with a little bit of real emotion behind it. Curiosity was a real emotion, right?

"Not really," Jill admitted giving Lissa a small smile. "But Adrian's not as—" her eyes shifted to me quickly before glancing back at the floor, "—not as... emotional... as he used to be. Or, well, he is, but it's not as negative, I guess. He's been... happier, you know? That makes it a lot easier to control, or, well, not control, exactly. But I don't get dragged into his thoughts as much as when he was upset."

Jill dragged in a much needed breath after her ramble and I smiled a little. When I looked over at Lissa I noticed she was smiling too, but I wasn't sure if it was at Jill's adorable babble or because Adrian was, apparently, happy.

I was glad to hear that, though. I'd felt terrible every day since I'd gotten back together with Dimitri. Not because I didn't love Dimitri, because I did, but because I'd selfishly hurt Adrian by handling things the way I had. I never wanted to hurt him, and I'd seen how crushed he was, how angry, how right he was to feel those things. If he was happy, if he'd moved on, maybe we could work through what I'd done. Maybe we could even be friends again at some point.

"It is harder to control when the emotions are strong," I told Jill. "It's good he's doing better. For you and for him."

Jill nodded. "It is. You know, he's back in school. And he's doing really good. His teacher wants him to paint a piece for this student gallery he's putting together. It's at an actual art gallery and everything! It's so cool and Adrian's really excited. He's been working on an idea for it and he's come up with this really great—"

"Whoa, there Jill," I said. "Take a breath. Slow down."

Jill took a deep breath and smiled embarrassedly. "Sorry. I just get excited when he's excited."

"He's that excited about a painting?" Lissa asked, curiously. "Right now?"

"No, he's excited because..." Jill closed her mouth abruptly and then smiled and looked away, shaking her head. "He's just excited, that's all."

"I saw him earlier and he looked anything but excited," Lissa said. "He was visiting his dad today, wasn't he? I think he'd rather hop on a plane and fly back to Palm Springs than see his dad."

"Well," Jill said slowly, choosing her words. "He did see his dad, but they didn't fight or anything. It wasn't as bad as he thought. His dad told him what prison his mom's in."

I nodded. "That's why he's excited?"

Poor Adrian. If I'd have known his dad was being such a dick I would've found out where his mom was being held for him.

"No," Jill said and then looked like she wanted to slam her palm into her face. "I mean, yeah. That's a big part of why he's excited."

Now this was becoming interesting. I exchanged a look with Lissa that said she was feeling the same. All of a sudden we were playing _Guess What's Exciting Adrian?_ and I think Jill knew it.

"He's excited about the painting and the gallery," Lissa listed. "And his mom."

Jill pressed her lips together and stared at us in silence.

"Is he..." I said slowly, thinking. "Is he going to a party or something? Did he meet a girl or...?"

Lissa laughed. "Did he walk by a liquor store having a clearance sale?"

Jill scowled. "You guys don't understand. You think he's one way and he's not. You can't understand him. Not the way S—"

She stopped herself again. This time cutting herself off mid-word.

"Not the way... who does?" Lissa asked. She leaned forward and smiled sweetly. "Come on," she said. "I'm your sister, right? Sisters share secrets?"

Jill smiled a little and rolled her eyes. "Nice try," she said, sarcastically, but I think she really liked that Lissa had said they were sisters. The two hadn't really talked much about their new found family bond.

"So he's dating someone?" I asked. I was curious. I had no right to be, I admit, but I was. "Are there other Moroi at his school? I didn't think any other Moroi lived in Palm Springs."

"No. No other Moroi. But she's not... well, she's not Moroi and they're not dating." Maybe it was just me, but I sensed a little sadness in her voice when she said that. I wasn't sure if it was his sadness coming through the bond or hers, but either way she definitely sounded wistful.

"If they're not dating then why is he so excited?" Lissa asked. "I mean, he's excited about _her_? Whoever she is?"

Jill looked indecisive. She bit her lip, looking like she wanted to tell us something, but knowing she shouldn't. Finally she said, "She's kinda like his best friend. And he's talking to her, right now actually, so he's excited."

I know I must have looked confused, but I was confused. Adrian didn't really seem like the type to have a best friend. I mean, everyone should have a best friend, but he just didn't strike me as they type of person who'd care about something like that. Especially not with a girl.

"Is she here?" Lissa asked, looking equally confused. "Is she at Court right now? Who is she?"

I wanted the answer to that, too. We were being very unfair right now, I knew. Pumping Jill for info through the bond wasn't the right thing to do, it was gossiping but with first hand knowledge. And it was impossible to stop.

Jill, Adrian, Eddie and Angeline had gotten to Court yesterday. Jill had needed to come and sign a few papers now that the hereditary laws were abolished. She'd decided she wanted to stay in Palm Springs for the rest of the school year and, even though we'd all thought that was strange, we'd agreed to it. Lissa and Jill's parents didn't want to add more shock to her system by ripping her out of school mid-year and I'd totally agreed. Nothing sucked worse than starting a school in the middle of the year, even one you'd been to before. All of the others had agreed they'd like to stay in Palm Springs with her.

So, while Jill needed to be here, Adrian hadn't really needed to come at all. He'd mentioned something about checking in with Sonya about her spirit research, but I'd thought he was just saying that so no one would question his real reason, which I'd figured was so he could be here for Jill. Adrian wouldn't admit it, but he really cared about Jill and he was a good enough guy to come all the way here with her just for moral support. But now I was starting to question that idea. Was there some girl here who he was friends with and I'd never known about? But... Jill said she wasn't Moroi. Was she a dhampir?

"No," Jill said. "She's not here."

"So she's back in Palm Springs then?" I asked.

Jill bit her lip again and I got the impression that she was keeping a secret that she really, really wanted to spill. She shook her head slightly. "Not really," she said with a funny emphasis on _really_.

Jill suddenly stiffened, her eyes going wide. I was just about to ask what was wrong when I heard the footsteps in the hall. I tensed, my senses kicking in, listening for the threat. But there wasn't one.

"Yeah," a familiar voice said, as he walked down the hall outside the sitting room we were in. "I know. I have to go see her tomorrow. I looked it up. Visiting hours are from 10pm to 3am. It's not that far from here. I'll leave late afternoon and get there in plenty of time." Adrian paused, both talking and walking. The door to the sitting room was open and he took in me, Jill and Lissa sitting together with a smirk, then started talking again as he walked in and took a seat next to Jill. "I'll be back in time for the flight."

Jill smiled at him, but when she glanced nervously over at us, I could have sworn she looked a little flushed. Could Adrian be talking to Mystery Girl? I saw Lissa pretending not to listen to the conversation going on on the other side of the phone. I knew she could hear everything, but all I heard was a girl saying... something. Not for the first time, I was a little jealous of Moroi super hearing. It would be totally awesome to eavesdrop with!

Adrian smiled wide. "So how's it going with your sister? Was progress made or are you going to need me to buy you some gelato when you get home?" The girl said something and Adrian laughed. "I know, I know." More girl talking. "That's good. I told you, she just needed time. It's understandable she'd be mad. She didn't really understand the situation at the time." His voice became low and gentle as he said, "She didn't know what you were protecting her from."

Lissa and I exchanged a look, one I'm sure Adrian noticed, but if he did he didn't say anything.

"Alright, I'm gonna let you go bond with Zoe some more. Have fun today at your car show." He smiled and it struck me for the first time that... I'd never seen him smile like that. I'd seen him laugh and smirk and grin sexily all over the place, but I'd never seen a truly content smile. It looked good on him. "Yeah. I'm gonna hang out with Jailbait, Lissa and Rose for a bit and then get to bed. Text me tonight, though." He pulled the phone away from his ear and said, "Say bye."

It took me a moment to realize he was talking to us. Jill jumped in with a bright smile and an enthusiastic goodbye and even Lissa joined her though she looked confused.

Adrian put the phone back to his ear and laughed at something the girl said, "Bye, Sage. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket, ignoring the look I was giving him. "Sydney says bye."

"Sydney Sage," I said incredulously. "My Sydney Sage? The Alchemist?"

Adrian smirked and Jill giggled a little, but then coughed to hide it.

"I didn't know you'd called dibs, Rose," he quipped. "But yeah. She's in Utah, visiting her family while we're out here." He smirked at Jill and Lissa. "You two aren't the only ones trying to do a little sisterly bonding this weekend."

I shook my head, still stuck on the fact that Mystery Girl was Sydney. "I just didn't realize you guys were close. I mean, Sonya said you were friendly, but..."

"But what?" Adrian asked, seeming a little insulted. That was the last thing I'd meant to do, especially when he was actually talking to me again. "Why wouldn't we be friends?"

"Not that you wouldn't," I said quickly. "I just didn't know that..." I looked toward Jill and then back to Adrian. It was a quick glance, but Adrian had seen it and turned toward Jill.

"What?" he demanded, a little more anger than was necessary lacing his voice. Or... well, it almost looked like panic in his eyes as he questioned her silently. I was pretty sure there was some message passing through their bond right now.

"Nothing," Jill swore, answering the unasked question and raising her hands in front of her. "Just that you were friends. Like, best friends."

Adrian leaned back, relaxing a little. "Oh." He smiled easily, his air of nonchalance coming back immediately. "Yeah, I guess we are, kind of. We've gotten to know each other the past few months. It's only natural..."

His phone buzzed and he looked down at it. That real smile formed again, big enough that his fangs were visible. He typed back a reply and hit send.

"What was I saying?" he asked when he was done. "Oh yeah. It's only natural we'd be friends. I mean, we've been stuck taking care of everyone for so long now—"

"Taking care of everyone? You?" Jill laughed. "Oh, Sydney's going to love that. What about—"

"Jailbait, Jailbait," he said. "That was then. This is now, and you know how helpful I am. You've seen... you know, the way I help."

Jill smiled warmly at him. "The way you help Sydney. When was the last time, or first time for that matter, you helped me, Angeline or Eddie? Huh? I mean, besides letting us cook dinner for you in your apartment. Because that was _such_ a huge help to us," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Adrian grinned again. "I know it was. The privilege of cooking for Adrian Ivashkov will not be diminished with your words. You know that was a great night."

The two of them bickered back and forth for a little while before finally calling it quits, but I'd already seen what I needed to see. I exchanged a glance with Lissa, silently asking if she'd seen it too. She had.

Adrian was happy. Really, honest to goodness happy in a way I'd never seen him before. I realized that it was probably a combination of a lot of things that helped him out of whatever funk he'd been in, a funk that had existed long before he'd met me. The biggest one being Jill. He had Jill, someone to take care of because of the bond. That made him aware of his actions in a way he hadn't been before. Then there was living in a different city and going to school and having his own place. It was the same as with Jill. He had responsibility and that made him better. He also had freedom in Palm Springs. Freedom from his father, from Court, from me. But maybe the best thing for Adrian was Sydney. I hadn't even seen them together, but the look on his face when he'd talked to her on the phone, that look of pure contentment, that spoke volumes.

I wasn't sure what their relationship was like. If it really did stop at friendship. Was it more than that? It seemed like it, at least on Adrian's side. I couldn't be sure about Sydney, of course. I mean, I knew how scared she was of vampires and even dhampirs, but she _had_ been laughing when she spoke to Adrian on the phone. I'd been able to hear that much. And she'd been talking to him about personal matters, like her family. So maybe she had changed since I'd last seen her.

Whatever the case was though, it seemed like it was good for him. For both of them.


	25. Fantasy

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Here's a quick update! It's mindless fluff, but I think it's pretty cute. Let me know what you guys think :)**

"Alright, fine," she sighed. She rolled up her sleeves and then twisted her hair into a knot and secured it with an elastic band she had in her purse. A few missed strands hung down around her slender neck, looking like spun gold as they glowed in the sunlight coming in through the window.

She was so damn beautiful and she had no idea.

"Why do you need me again?" she asked. She was trying to appear huffy and irritated about this, but I could see the excitement in her aura. She wanted to do this too.

I finally tore my eyes away from her and walked into the kitchen. "To help make a strawberry filled birthday cake," I said like it should have been obvious. "Jill loves strawberries."

"And again," she said with an amused smile as she followed me, "why don't you just buy a cake?"

"Because where's the fun in that, Sage?" I threw her a smirk over my shoulder as I got out all of the ingredients.

In my head this project had involved Sydney in my kitchen covered in flour and frosting and cake batter... I knew that's not exactly how this was going to go, but a guy can fantasize, right?

"Mind if I have one of these?" she asked. I waved my hand behind me in a go-ahead gesture as I dug out a couple of eggs. When I turned around I nearly dropped those eggs.

I watched Sydney pick up one of the fresh strawberries on the counter and bring it to her lips. I lost all conscious thought as those lips wrapped around the fruit, sucking and nibbling at it. That image hadn't previously been a part of my fantasy, but it was now. In fact, I was pretty sure her and that strawberry were going to be staring in numerous fantasies from here on out.

I imagined what it would taste like, what she would taste like after eating it. I remembered the way those lips had felt against mine for that brief moment we'd shared a few months ago. So soft, but so firm when she kissed me back.

I still couldn't believe she'd actually kissed me back. Even if she walked away right afterwards, she'd kissed me back. Soft lips, arms pulling me closer, delicate fingers running through the hairs at the nape of my neck. Lips wrapped around that goddamn strawberry. I wanted nothing more than to tangle my fingers into that messy knot on the back of her head and taste her lips.

I'd push her back against the counter and once her arms wrapped around me I'd lift her onto the granite. Then I'd take full advantage of her being higher up. I'd kiss and suck my way from her plump, strawberry flavored lips all the way to that slender white throat. Her head would fall back, giving me more access. Then I'd grab a strawberry and trail it down the same way my lips had gone, except it would take a slight detour down in between Sydney's, hopefully now unbuttoned, white blouse. I'd trail the sweet red fruit across her collarbone and down between her breasts. I'd kiss and lick anywhere that strawberry touched, cleaning up every last bit of its sticky juices...

"Adrian!" Sydney snapped. She sounded exasperated and I realized she must have been calling my name for a while. She had a bunch of ingredients thrown together in a bowl and was mixing it with the electric mixer I had bought this morning for this exact purpose. "If you want to have this cake ready by Jill's party tonight, I suggest you stop daydreaming and start helping me."

"Sorry, Sage." I smiled charmingly at her. "What do you need?"

She rolled her eyes. "Can you get the cake pan ready? You just need to grease it so that the cake doesn't stick. And preheat the oven."

As I finally managed to pull my full attention from the image of Sydney shirtless and sticky on my granite countertop, I preheated the oven and then got started on greasing the cake pan.

"You know," she said after a minute, her eyes still on the batter she was mixing. She brushed a strand of fallen hair back behind her ear. "This doesn't seem that difficult. Why did you need my help?"

I finished greasing the pan and walked over to her, leaning against the counter so I could look at her. One of my favorite pastimes these days was to look at her.

"I get confused with all of the measuring and stuff," I told her. "Especially with how to do the strawberry filling. You should have seen the disaster of a cake I tried to make yesterday. I figured you're naturally good at all that measuring stuff. It's like Alchemy 101, right?"

It wasn't entirely a lie. I really had tried to make a cake yesterday and it had been a complete disaster. And I had really thought Sydney would be good at this, but that wasn't the only reason I called her to help.

She might not want to be together, but that didn't mean I didn't take every opportunity I could to be around her.

She finished mixing and dumped the batter into the greased pan. "Yeah, I guess it sort of is," she admitted with a laugh. "It also seems to be Witchcraft 101. That's basically all I've been doing recently."

"I told you that you shouldn't do it if you don't want to. Just tell Jackie to back off," I said.

She laughed again and I smiled. "Easier said than done," she said.

"Not really. Do you want me to do it?" I asked. "Because you say the word and me and her will have a little chat."

She smiled and bit her bottom lip, while shaking her head. The loose blonde strands of hair shifted, brushing against the soft skin of her throat. There was a small dab of batter on her neck, right below her ear, that was nearly making me lose my train of thought. I really wanted to lean in and taste it.

"No, it's okay," she said. "It's not that bad really. I don't have a problem with it. Not the little spells anyway. It's just the bigger ones that freak me out."

"So don't do the bigger ones," I said logically, crossing my arms across my chest. My eyes kept drifting back to that splotch of batter. Should I get it for her? I should get it, right? I could just reach out and...

"The bigger ones are the ones that Ms. Terwilliger wants me to learn. They're offensive spells. Attack spells. She says they'll help me protect myself, but..."

"But what?" I prodded gently.

Sydney looked up at me with those big, golden eyes and I very nearly leaned in and kissed her right then. "But I'm scared of them," she said softly. Her voice, just above a whisper, had me going crazy. My God, I needed to kiss her. Just once. Just one more time.

I shook off the thought and focused on her problem. She was already scared enough without having to deal with a pushy vampire who keeps trying to kiss her.

"Sage," I said, my voice serious. "If you don't want to learn magic, then don't. It's entirely your decision. Don't let anyone boss you around. Not even if it's done with good intentions."

"I know," she sighed. "And I'm not. It makes me a little uncomfortable, but I know she's right. I want to be able to protect myself if need be." She gave me a small smile, brushing some more hair out of her face and behind her ear. The motion drew my eyes back to that small smear of batter on her neck. "But thank you," she added softly. "For the support. It means a lot."

I had to get the batter off of her neck, right? I couldn't leave it there. I could tell her, I guess, but it would be easier for me to just reach out and wipe it off. Yeah. I took a step forward, reaching out with my left hand. Sydney froze. I wasn't sure if she was scared or not, but my brain wasn't exactly processing anything other than that small dab of vanilla cake mix. She didn't seem scared though as I stepped closer and my fingers brushed the warm, smooth skin of her neck. She looked up at me with those big golden eyes before I watched them flutter shut when my thumb rubbed the spot below her ear.

I wiped the cake mix off with my finger before pulling back from her. Her eyes flashed open and I held up my batter coated thumb. "You had a little..." I trailed off at the look on her face.

"Oh," she said quickly and turned back to the counter. "Yeah. Thanks."

I checked her aura quickly and saw the disappointment that had flashed across her face there as well. Why was she disappointed? Did she _want_ me to kiss her? My heart sped up for a second, but then I realized even if she had wanted me to kiss her the moment was already over. If I kissed her now it would just be weird and she'd pull away from me again. But a new hope was already forming in my chest. She had wanted me to kiss her, which meant she wanted me, even if she wasn't ready to admit it.

I'd known she liked me, possibly even loved me, but she'd never expressed a solid desire to have me touch her or kiss her before. Not like I'd just seen flash in her eyes. This was progress.

"We should probably get the cake in the oven," she said after clearing her throat. "It'll take about forty minutes to bake. And we still have to make the strawberry filling."

She glanced up at me finally and I smiled a little as I grabbed the cake pan and shoved it in the oven. "And I want to make some chocolate covered strawberries to decorate the top. What do you think?"

Sydney looked at me, her cheeks still a little pink from our close encounter. When she didn't answer me immediately I asked, "Sage?"

I noticed then that her eyes were on my lips, watching them as I spoke. She even bit her lip slightly.

"Sage," I said a little louder.

She jumped a little and shook off whatever she'd been thinking about. From the renewed flush on her cheeks and the embarrassed expression on her face, I had a pretty good idea just what she'd been thinking about.

"What?" she asked, sounding startled.

I smirked. "What do you think about making chocolate covered strawberries for the top of the cake?"

"Oh. Yeah. That'd be good." She nodded, going back into business mode. "I'll do the filling, you melt the chocolate?"

"Sure."

It amused me to no end that she'd wanted to kiss me. And not only that, but she'd actually been daydreaming about it. You could cut the sexual tension in the kitchen with a knife as we each set about completing our tasks. But I felt her eyes on me a few times while I was melting the chocolate for the strawberries. I'd refrained from looking over at her as much as possible, but only because every time I did I imagined the picture from the fantasy. The one where Sydney was shirtless on my counter, only now I was feeding her chocolate covered strawberries. Her tongue gently guiding the fruit between her lips, the juices dripping down her chin...

Needless to say, I burned the chocolate on my first attempt. Sydney teased me for being terrible in the kitchen. I smirked back at her saying I was fantastic in the kitchen, just not at _cooking_. The resulting blush remained on her face for long after I'd finally gotten the chocolate right.


	26. Dinner

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**So, yeah. The Indigo Spell was basically the greatest thing ever. Totally worth the wait! This chapter is based after TIS so if you I haven't read it yet, you might want to stop reading right now. Don't worry though, I still have some post-TGL chapters coming soon and sill make sure to mark all chapters that contain spoilers.**

**(INDIGO SPELL SPOILERS AHEAD)**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! It's sweet and pretty cheesy, but I think that's what makes it funny. Review and let me know!**

Being summoned to Court to help with Sonya's spirit research was a little unexpected. I knew Sonya was still very interested in testing my blood to find out why the Strigoi that had attacked me several months ago hadn't been able to drink from me, but I hadn't thought Stanton and the Alchemists would ever approve the tests. Not that I totally minded. I was still trying to juggle everything that had been thrown in my lap recently, and this small break was a nice treat.

Especially since Adrian had come along to help with the research. He hadn't exactly been requested, but unlike me he didn't need an excuse to travel across the country. When I said was going he bought a ticket and said he was going too.

Needless to say we ended up kissing for almost the entire four hour flight to Pennsylvania. We didn't get to do much of that lately—outside of spirit dreams, of course—so it was nice. So was falling asleep on his shoulder and waking up with his arms around me and not feeling for one second like I was a bad person for it.

We had discussed the plan before getting on the flight so we both knew what would happen once the plane landed. Once we got in the car that would take us to the Moroi Court we weren't Sydney and Adrian, in love and out to change the world, we were Sydney and Adrian, virtual strangers. It depressed me knowing that even outside of Palm Springs and away from the prying eyes of my little sister, Zoe, we still couldn't just be together. But we couldn't risk anyone finding out for a few reasons. Mostly those reasons had to do with me getting in trouble with the Alchemists, which was a very real possibility at this point. But most importantly, we couldn't look like we knew each other too well in case anyone linked us back to Jill.

That was why once we made it to Court Adrian went off with his friends and I went right to my room. I unpacked and changed out of my travel clothes. Adrian text me that we'd be having dinner with the Queen so I should dress to impress. I rolled my eyes and told him if I was supposed to impress her I should wear my AYE shirt. His response came quickly. _Did you bring it?_

I smiled to myself thinking about the purple shirt I'd just folded and placed in the dresser drawer along side some other sleep clothes I'd packed. I figured I couldn't wear the shirt around Palm Springs, or here for that matter, but since I had my own room I might as well sleep in it. _Yes, I brought it_, I typed back.

Adrian immediately replied with a smiley face.

I was about to text him back simply because I was bored and already missed him when someone knocked on my door. I smiled hugely and went to rip the door open thinking Adrian was on the other side. He wasn't.

Rose cocked her head to the side as she regarded me from the hallway. "What are you so happy about?" she asked with a smile. "Figured you'd crack the door open holding a can of pepper spray or something."

My smile faded away and I shook my head, flustered. "Oh, nothing. I just thought... Well, I was wondering when you'd show up." It wasn't entirely a lie. I did figure she'd show up at some point, probably to make sure I was okay or to order me down to dinner. That was why she was here, I realized. To drag me to dinner with vampires.

She did a quick scan of my blue button down blouse tucked into my pressed khakis and belted with a thin leather belt. "I came up to let you know we're having dinner soon. I know you're probably uncomfortable, but Lissa would love to officially meet you. It'll just be us there. Well, me, Dimitri, Lissa, Christian and Adrian."

I smiled at her. "That'd be great. I'm actually starving." It was true. There hadn't been a meal on the plane and I hadn't eaten since this morning. With all the magic I'd been doing lately and the all subsequent food I'd been eating, I'd gained three pounds. And, surprisingly, I was fine with that. I even thought I looked better in most of my clothes. Filled them out better. Adrian certainly thought so. He'd told me so three times this week.

Rose led me down to a dining hall on the first floor of the palace. There were six guards standing outside the doors leading in, but, surprisingly, Rose and Dimitri were the only guardians inside the room. I guess even a queen needed her privacy.

Adrian walked in a moment after I was seated at the long dining table. He looked fantastic in a dark blue button down open over a black T-shirt. His AYE T-shirt. I rolled my eyes, but he just smiled politely as he sat down across from me.

"Nice shirt," Lissa's boyfriend, Christian said as he came in and took his seat next to Adrian.

Adrian smirked. "Isn't it? Some people just don't get pirate fashion. I should've had him wearing a Hawaiian shirt."

I almost smiled at that reference to our favorite possibly one-eyed self-defense instructor, but stopped myself in time.

"You made it?" Rose asked, leaning over the table to get a better look. "It's pretty good. What is that thing around its neck though? A noose?"

Adrian laughed, hard, and I slumped back in my chair a little. I'd told him I wasn't very creative. "It's a tie," Adrian explained to Rose with a huge smile on his face. "It's so he can go to business meetings."

Rose gave him a strange look but didn't say anything back. Lissa walked into the room with Dimitri then and sat down next to Christian. Dimitri took a seat next to Rose and both couples smiled lovingly at each other. I turned to Adrian to catch him watching me with that same sad look that I knew must have been on my face. We quickly looked away from each other before the others caught us.

It didn't matter that we couldn't gaze openly at each other, I reminded myself. We knew how we felt. No one else needed to know. I sighed internally. Keeping our relationship a secret was a lot harder than I thought. Especially when we were surrounded by other happy couples.

Rose went about making the introductions, even though I already knew who everyone was. When Sonya walked in followed by Mikhail I was surprised.

"I didn't think you were going to make it," Lissa said, sounding as surprised as I was at the arrival of yet another adoring couple.

"We weren't sure we would, but then we heard Sydney and Adrian were here already." Sonya smiled at us and went to take a seat next to me.

"Oh," Adrian jumped up from his chair. "Here. Sit next to your husband."

Sonya protested, but relented when he insisted. As we ate and talked Adrian, now sitting by my side, kept doing little things. Things that I realized he didn't even know he was doing. When he spoke to me he'd lean closer than was necessarily appropriate for two people who weren't intimate with each other. One time he even started to throw his arm around my shoulders but caught himself last second and let his arm drop to the back of my chair instead. When I noticed Rose giving that arm a funny look I made a big show of scooting my chair forward so that his arm would drop.

Every time he did some normal loving gesture and I had to counter like I was disgusted by his closeness I felt terrible. I wanted him by me, I wanted his arm around me. And, my God, all I wanted was to turn around and kiss him and let everyone know that we were together. Instead I settled for clasping his hand under the table.

"That was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to," Lissa was saying to Sonya. "I mean it. I've been to a ton of royal weddings and yours was incredibly romantic."

Sonya beamed. "It was pretty perfect, wasn't it?" She glanced up at Adrian and me. "And you two looked perfect out there on the dance floor."

It took Adrian a second to come up with a snarky retort to that, but he did it. Which was good because I was suddenly feeling flustered. "I look perfect everywhere," he smirked.

Christian laughed and even Dimitri couldn't hold back his small smile.

Lissa rolled her eyes but then smiled at me. "You did look great out there. Everyone was going on and on about it. How Adrian Ivashkov and the Alchemist girl were 'breaking down the fences' between our races."

I flushed and released Adrian's hand so that I could push my food around my plate as a distraction. I hoped Adrian would say something but he didn't. I looked up to see him looking as flustered as I did.

"That's what they're saying?" I asked.

Lissa must have taken my nervousness the wrong way because she hurriedly said, "Not in _that_ way. Not like you two were doing anything wrong, just that you were able to be near each other without running for the hills. More Alchemists than not seem to really... dislike us." She said the last part carefully, like she was trying to avoid offending me.

"Yeah," Rose agreed. "You're really not a typical Alchemist, Sydney."

"You have no idea," I just barely heard Adrian mutter under his breath. Unfortunately, Sonya heard it too.

"Hmm?" she asked.

Adrian just shook his head and took another bite of his chicken. Eventually the conversation returned to Sonya's wedding and then evolved to some weird game where Lissa quizzed Christian about what royals they should ban at their wedding, when they eventually got married.

They were only my age and I thought it was sort of odd that they were talking so seriously about their future together, but then I realized that if I was in their shoes I might feel the same way. They were in love and could be so in public. What I wouldn't give to be able to share my relationship the way they did. Christian put an arm over the back of Lissa's chair as they talked and I felt a sharp pang when she didn't have to pull away from him.

Adrian must have noticed my mood change because he brought his hand under the table and squeezed my thigh, before letting his fingers rub soft circles into the fabric of my khakis. I closed my eyes and let myself enjoy the contact as dessert was served. Turned out we were having pecan pie.

I took a bite and turned to Adrian. "Surprisingly not as good as Pies and Stuff," I said.

He nodded and said through a mouthful of pie, "I know, I'm shocked. We're going to have to let Hopper try it to be sure."

He realized at the same moment I did that we'd said more than we should have. All through dinner we'd talked only a handful of times, trying to keep our interaction to a minimum. But it was hard to not fall into our usual easy rapport. We both looked back down at our plates, shoveling more pie into our mouths and hoping no one thought anything was weird.

"Who's Hopper?" Sonya asked. I looked up at her, trying not to look like I was hiding anything. The look in her eyes wasn't one of suspicion though, it was genuine curiosity shining through.

"Hopper's my pet rabbit," Adrian said quickly. I almost laughed, which caused me to choke on the pie I was eating. Adrian handed me my water and I took a sip.

"You have a pet rabbit?" Christian asked.

"Named Hopper?" added Rose, a skeptical look on her face.

I couldn't help it. I murmured "Best rabbit ever," under my breath, hoping it was low enough that only Adrian would hear. He did and he burst out laughing, looking like a crazy person, because no one else had heard me. I had to work hard to hide my own smile.

"Sorry," Adrian said once he'd collected himself. "What were we talking about? Weddings?"

"Yeah," said Rose slowly, rolling with the change in subject if only to get away from the awkward silence that had settled. "When I get married my wedding will be small, intimate. Close friends and family only."

Dimitri smiled and started to open his mouth but Rose quickly stopped him. "Don't even think about it," she said. "I said _when_ I get married. Years from now."

"I want mine to be small too," Lissa said, smiling at her friend from across the table. Her smile faded a moment later. "It probably won't be though. I'll be expected to have a huge wedding where the entire Court is invited."

"You don't have to," I said. "You could always just do what you want."

Rose shook her head. "No, Lissa's right. They'd expect a blowout for the Queen's wedding." She turned back to Lissa. "And I'll end up wearing an ugly bridesmaid dress."

"Well, I think you should have a small wedding if you want one," I insisted. "Just have it before the big blowout wedding. Placate the people while still getting what you want."

Lissa smiled at me. "And what kind of wedding would you have?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I don't know. I've never really thought about it before," I said.

"Oh, come on, Sydney," Sonya urged. "Every girl's thought about it, at least a little."

I started to say that I hadn't, but then I realized that without meaning to I was picturing a wedding in my head. My wedding. "I don't know if many people would come," I said with a shrug, "but I think I'd have it in Malibu."

"Malibu?" Lissa and Rose asked at once.

"What's in Malibu?" Christian asked.

I could feel Adrian's gaze burning into my cheek as I said, "This amazing museum."

"A museum?" Rose scoffed. "So romantic. Guess it's better than you saying you'd get hitched in a library or something."

"It is romantic," I insisted. "It's shaped like an ancient Roman temple and it has a beautiful garden in the middle. And it's probably the most romantic place I've ever been."

"It sounds lovely," Sonya smiled at me.

"Well, I'm more worried about the honeymoon," said Adrian with that devil-may-care grin of his. "That's where the real romance happens."

Mikhail chuckled. "That's true." Sonya smacked his arm lightly, but grinned at him.

"Where would your honeymoon be then, Adrian?" she asked.

Christian laughed. "Adrian's honeymoon would probably start on the first flat surface he could find."

Adrian cast Christian the haughtiest look I'd ever seen. "I'll have you know I would never sully my first memories as a married man by doing something so rash. No, I know exactly where I'm taking her for our honeymoon."

My breath caught in my throat. He knew where he was taking _her_. Did that mean just some generic her or was he really already planning our honeymoon? "Where?" I breathed.

Adrian looked at me and the haughty look melted away. "Rome," he said softly.

_Well that answers that question_, I thought as I leaned over and pressed my lips to his. The world faded away as it always did when I kissed Adrian. If the people around us were shocked by the kiss I didn't know it. Adrian didn't seem to care either as he tangled his hands in my hair and kissed me hard.

"I can't believe you said Malibu," he laughed when we finally pulled apart. "Totally made my day."

"Well, it _is_ the most romantic place I've ever been," I smiled.

"Just wait until I get you to Rome," he said. "And then Greece."

My heart skipped almost painfully in my chest. He was promising to take me to my dream cities. Promising me a life, a future together. We'd only been together a relatively short amount of time, but I couldn't imagine ever wanting anything more than I wanted him.

Someone cleared their throat and we both jerked back from each other. Everyone was looking at us like we were crazy. Maybe we were. I was okay with a little crazy in my life.

"So," Rose said. "That's an unexpected development."

I turned to explain, but Sonya was already talking. She shook her head and laughed. "Not really," she said. "Not if you could see their auras right now."


	27. Witch

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This one was something I had half written already and just put a little post-TIS spin on it. This actually thought of including something like this in the post-TIS story I want to write, but it wouldn't have worked so now it's a one shot. Born to lose 7 requested another chapter incorporating the whole gang, so I thought it would perfect.**

**And to answer Pixie's question: I'll see if I can come up with anything for a Trey/Angeline one shot, but we'll see. I'm not too sure how to write them. Love them so much though!**

**(THE INDIGO SPELL SPOILERS AHEAD)**

Jill visiting her parents and Lissa at Court probably wasn't the best idea to begin with, considering all of the groups that wanted her dead. But there was no way that anyone could know that Strigoi would attack the car she was in and kidnap her. What would Strigoi want with Jill? And it was a kidnapping, not just a random attack. Random Strigoi attacks didn't end with wounded victims and a missing princess. They ended with dead bodies.

I thanked God, yet again, that the attack hadn't left any dead bodies behind. Adrian and I had taken our own car from the airport, not wanting to cram into the guardian-filled SUV with Jill, Eddie and Angeline. And also wanting a little privacy. And even though I knew it was stupid, particularly because the Strigoi who had attacked had used a type of sleeping gas bomb on the guardians inside the car, I still felt like if I'd been there with Jill I might have been able to save her.

Adrian had told me again and again that I shouldn't blame myself, that it wasn't my fault. But I couldn't stop the guilt from welling inside me. I'd failed Jill. I never failed, but this time I had and now Jill was in danger.

Thankfully, I was able to track her using a simple scrying spell once we'd arrived at Court. Angeline, Eddie and the other dhampirs who'd been in the attack were taken directly to the infirmary and I hadn't seen them, but Rose and Dimitri along with a few others had wanted to see us, since we'd seen the attack from our car. Adrian told them he'd gotten Jill's location by contacting her in a spirit dream, trying to avoid unnecessary questions about how I'd used magic to find her. But, as Rose, Dimitri, Sonya, Christian and Lissa planned a strategic way to break into the Strigoi lair where Jill was being held, I kept thinking that it would be easier with my magic for me to go in and get her.

Turned out Adrian seemed to feel the same way.

"Rose," he said, "everyone in this room knows you could kick their ass in a physical confrontation. With the exception of Belikov, of course, because he's a giant."

Rose smiled but I wasn't sure if it was because of the compliment or Adrian's jab at Dimitri. She had been trying to convince Dimitri that she should try to go in, pretending to be under the Strogoi's spell, so she could find and protect Jill from the inside while the guardians attacked from the outside.

"But your not really a big picture kind of person. Sydney on the other hand," Adrian went on, causing me to start at the sound of my name. "Sydney's a thinker. Not only can she come up with a way to get in, but she'll figure a way to get out too."

Rose looked just as stunned as I felt. "You want to send Sydney into a nest of Strigoi? Sydney Sage?"

Everyone looked just as shocked by his suggestion. I was shocked, even though I had been thinking pretty much the same thing. I just never expected him to suggest it. I guess even in dangerous situations he still had the ability to deduce exactly what I was thinking.

"She can do it," Adrian insisted. "She's the best at this sort of thing. We'll cover her tattoo and they'll just think she's any other human devotee. Besides, she's chomping at the bit to do it."

Suddenly all of the eyes in the room were on me. I stood up straighter, trying to look calm. "I can do it. I've done this before. I can do it now. It's too risky to send Rose or anyone else. They'll know you guys are dhampirs the second they see you."

"Yes, but we can defend ourselves," Rose interjected hastily. "We can fight—"

"So can Sydney," Adrian said confidently. My heart swelled at his trust in me.

"Adrian," said Dimitri. "I'm just... I'm having a hard time coming to terms with you suggesting this. You were the one who started yelling when Sonya and I suggested testing Sydney's blood. Now you're fine with sending her into a room full of monsters?"

"That was different," Adrian said simply. "You were pressuring her into doing something she didn't want to. She wants to do this. And, like I said, she can defend herself if need be. Probably better than you guys."

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked.

This was it. The moment I'd known was coming since Jill had been taken. I wasn't even nervous, I just wanted them to know the truth so that they'd let me do what I needed to do.

"You remember when Sonya was missing and I found her, but I never really explained how?" I asked Dimitri.

He looked at me for a moment. "You said you remembered about your friend having the same tattoo as the marking on the sword we found. You put the clues together and then asked him to set up a meeting."

"Well, that wasn't entirely true," I admitted. I shot a glance at Adrian and he nodded in support. "I did put the clues together, but I found the location... I found the location by doing a spell."

Everyone in the room was silent for a few minutes. They were processing my words. No doubt trying to figure out if they'd heard me correctly.

"A spell?" Rose asked cautiously. "Like an alchemist thing?"

"No," replied Adrian candidly. "Like a witch thing. Sydney's a witch. She's even part of a coven and everything."

Almost everyone in the room said some variation of, "What?" at the same time.

"What are you talking about?" Rose said louder than the rest. "What—is that even a thing? You're _human_."

"It's a long story," I told her, "but it's true. I can use magic, and I can certainly defend myself in a pinch. At least long enough for you guys to come bursting in." Thinking back to the battle royale I'd had with Alicia in which I'd burned Ms. Terwilliger's house down, I was pretty sure I'd frighten Strigoi enough for them to keep their distance.

They all looked perplexed. Dimitri was the one who finally composed himself enough to speak. "Sydney, none of us have ever heard of anything like this before. I've heard of witches back in Russia, but not ones who actually... you know. Fight or anything. They were more herbal healers."

"Well, trust me," Adrian said, sounding like a proud parent. "I've seen what Sydney can do, and it knocks every kind of magic I've ever seen out of the water." He smiled a little. "This girl can throw fireballs, create invisible ice—for those times when you just desperately need to knock a psychotic bitch on her ass—and she even conjured us up a baby demon love child. I'm pretty sure she can handle a few Strigoi."

Everyone looked pretty much exactly as you'd expect them to after that speech. Rose sputtered and took a step towards me, her brown eyes wide. "Demon love child? Sydney, what the hell is he talking about?"

I sighed. "Like I said, long story. But here," I held out a hand in front of me and gestured for her to back up. "Let me show you." She did and even Adrian stepped away from me and stood by the others.

I held my hand out, palm up, and conjured the flames. I'd gotten pretty good at this and the flames were definitely closer to blue than they had been that first time I'd tried this spell. I focused on heating the flame more, turning it a light purplish color that made me happy. I let it fade out so it wouldn't zap much energy from me. When I looked up Adrian looked smug, everyone else, however, looked a mix between shocked and scared. Well, almost everyone.

Christian rushed forward. "Holy shit!" he cried, his eyes wide. "How did you do that? You're human, but you can actually summon flames?"

I flashed him a small smile, grateful he wasn't scared of me. "I can do a lot of things with my magic," I said. "Fire's easy, but still I've, uh, had some mishaps with it. I'm only just learning the more difficult spells. That's why I joined the coven."

"According to her teacher, Sydney's a prodigy," Adrian said. "So if anyone can get in there and find Jill, it's her."

Rose was nodding, her eyes still huge and staring at my hands. "Okay, yeah. Sydney can go in." She looked up at me. "But still, if you need us we'll be close by."

I smiled at her concern.

"I know this is hardly the time," Sonya muttered. "But I'd really love to know more about your magic and this coven of witches when you have a chance."

"Of course," I said, nodding. "In the meantime, Adrian will fill you in on anything you want to know."

Adrian was nodding along. "Sure. I know almost as much as she does about it. I can answer any questions you have." He gave a rueful smile. "Besides, it'll help distract me from freaking the hell out while she's in there."

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. "I'll be fine. You know I can do this."

"Just because I know you can doesn't me I don't worry." He pulled back a little and tilted his head down to meet mine. His lips brushed against mine once before he pulled me back to his chest. "I wish I could go with you."

I laughed softly and pulled away thinking about the last time he'd said something like that to me, just before I'd raided a Warrior camp. "Deja vu, huh?"

Adrian smiled. "A little. Except this time I can kiss you." He leaned and kissed me once more.

Remembering that time outside of his apartment I did something I'd done then as well. I reached up and unclasped my cross, handing it over to him. "You know I always get this cross back one way or another."

He took the cross and wrapped his arms around me. "I don't think I want to give it back this time," he teased.

I pulled him closer. "Good, because I want you to keep it. Besides," I laughed. "You already gave me that beautiful wooden cross." Thinking about it I reached down into my purse and pulled the wooden cross out. I reached behind me and clasped the brass chain around my neck. "There. For good luck."

Adrian brushed my hair out of my face and whispered words he'd said to me once before. At the time I'd thought they were cheesy, but now they felt like some great form of encouragement. "You make your own luck," he said.

We stayed locked in our embrace, lost in our own little world, until Dimitri cleared his throat. His face was blank when I looked over at him, unlike all of the other faces in the room. I'd forgotten these people didn't know about my relationship with Adrian. They'd obviously realized we were friends, but not the extent of that friendship.

"Are you ready to go, Sydney?" he asked. "Do you have everything you need?"

I stepped away from Adrian and mentally ran through the list of charms and chemicals in my purse. "Yeah, I have everything," I said, nodding. "Let's go."

Rose walked up with me, falling into step as we walked to the black SUV we'd be taking to the Strigoi lair. Adrian was on my other side.

"I'll help you cover your tattoo in the car," Rose said. "While you tell me all about you and Adrian." She looked between the two of us, giving us each a pointed look. She didn't seem upset that we were together, just curious. Maybe even amused.

Adrian laughed. "Well, guess I'm glad I'm staying here then. If only to avoid the interrogation."

I glared jokingly at him, but one glance back at the faces of Sonya, Christian and Lissa said he'd have more than enough questions of his own to answer tonight.

"I love you," I whispered as I followed Rose into the back of the SUV. I leaned out the door and kissed him. Hard.

He kissed me back, his lips just as desperate as mine. "I love you, too, cream puff." He laughed when I rolled my eyes at the stupid high-calorie nickname, but then his face went completely earnest. He reached out and traced my cheek with his fingertips. "Come back to me."

I gave him my best smile and said, "Always." He closed my door and I watched him through the window until we pulled away.

Once we were on the road I turned to find Rose watching me carefully. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "No one will think less of you if you don't want to."

"I've got this," I said, my voice surprisingly calm. "I've been in worse situations than this, believe me."

She nodded and gave me a supportive smile. That smile faded to a smirk as I pulled a makeup compact out of my purse. "So," she said slowly, drawing out the word in a way I didn't like. "You and Adrian, huh?"

She waggled her eyebrows at me and suddenly I was more afraid of this car ride than I was afraid of the destination and the dangers that awaited me there.


	28. The Wedding

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**I've had this idea in my head for awhile now, but couldn't work out how to finish it. I hope you enjoy it! Review and let me know!**

**P.S. I wrote a Trey/Angeline story called Behind the Library if anyone's interested in reading about them :)**

I looked in the mirror and adjusted my tie for what seemed like the millionth time today. I couldn't believe I was so nervous. Getting married was a big step, obviously. Especially for someone like me. But I shouldn't be _this_ nervous.

I'd known this girl for three years, we'd been together longer than I'd ever been with anyone else. I shouldn't be this nervous. But I was and I knew why, and no matter how many times I tried to distract myself by straightening my tie, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I sat down on the couch and put my head in my hands. The problem was that Amy, the girl I was marrying in just over a half hour, wasn't Sydney Sage. She'd never been Sydney, and I'd never tried to delude myself into thinking she was. She was a nice Moroi girl, not royal or anything, just a nice girl that Jill had introduced me to a few years ago. I guess she'd gotten sick of my moping and was trying to force me to move on. But the truth was, I didn't want to move on from Sydney.

She'd broken my heart, left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. The most I got was a note she'd left behind in her dorm room at Amberwood saying how she was sorry, but she had to leave. It wasn't even addressed to me, it was for the whole Palm Springs group. She never even said why she decided to go. I'd thought things had been good between us. I'd searched for her at first. I'd tried everything. But nothing worked, not even spirit dreams. Sydney's magical mentor, Jackie, had tried a few location spells but none of them had worked either. Eventually, after almost a year of hopeless searching, I had no choice but to go back to Court and give up.

I hadn't seen or heard anything from Sydney since. My friends all thought I needed to start dating again and when Jill introduced me to Amy I finally agreed. Amy was sweet and understood that I was still mending a broken heart. She gave me time and space, while still being around when I needed someone. We weren't serious. I didn't think I could ever be serious with anyone ever again after Sydney, but the easiness of our relationship sort of stuck, and now three years later we were still together. And that was good. Amy was good for me.

"Adrian," Eddie said, popping his head in through the doorway. "It's almost time. Finish up and meet us out in the sanctuary. The photographer wants a few pictures of you with all the groomsmen before the ceremony."

I nodded. "Be there in a minute."

Once Eddie left I slumped back onto the couch, the nervousness I had been feeling rushed back over me ten-fold. I had to get over this. Marrying Amy was a good decision. It shouldn't have made me feel like I wanted to throw up. Jill liked her, all of my friends liked her. I liked her.

_But you're not head-over-heels, act-like-an-idiot-because-you're-too-in-love-to-care-what-anyone-thinks-of-you in love with her._

I rubbed my temples, hoping to shush that voice that seemed to be speaking up a lot today. I didn't need to hear it. I already knew. And it made me feel guilty as hell for so many reasons. The stupidest of which was that a part of me felt like I was betraying Sydney. Which was just idiotic considering the circumstances.

Even though Amy and I had been dating for years I'd never thought about getting serious—marriage serious—with her. I'd only proposed last month after... Well, after.

I'd never truly, one hundred percent, given up on Sydney. I couldn't. So I'd set up news alerts on my computer. Theoretically, if her name ever popped up on the Internet, I'd get an email alert. I'd never gotten one until a month ago when I checked my email and BAM! There it was, sitting in my inbox.

_1 New Article Containing "Sydney Sage"._

My heart had skipped a beat, or ten, and I actually had to get up and shake out some of the jitters running through me at the sight of her name. In that moment, I couldn't even feel bad about the excitement I felt, or the quick stream of fantasies that all included a happy reunion between the two of us, even though I had a girlfriend. But then I'd clicked open that email and my world had shattered.

_Sydney Sage, age 23, Killed in Car Accident in Utah._

A sob had escaped me despite the numb feeling that spread over my entire body. I read that article over a hundred times, at least. She'd been driving in the snow and her car skidded out on some black ice before careening down an embankment and into a frozen river. There was a picture of the crash site in the article, but that wasn't the picture I kept looking at. It was the picture of Sydney that was in the upper right hand side of the page, older than the last time I saw her but just as beautiful. It would be the last picture I ever saw of Sydney and she wasn't even smiling. She looked like a robot, a puppet. Drained of all her energy. Like someone had sucked her fierce, glowing golden aura right out of her. I kept thinking they might as well have put a photo of her corpse in the article, because it would have still held more life than the photo they used.

It destroyed me. For a week I didn't leave my apartment. I didn't tell anyone what happened, aside from Jill who had seen through the bond we shared. But I didn't want to talk about it, so I ignored her phone calls. Finally, after seven whole days of staring at that damned photo of her, I decided enough was enough. She was gone, but I was still here. I had to act like it. She wouldn't want me to waste away staring at an article about her death in a dark, dirty apartment. So I picked myself up, cleaned the apartment, invited Amy over and proposed.

It was a rash decision, I knew that when I'd proposed. But right now it was hitting me just how rash it was. Could I do this? Could I marry her, even though the only person I could picture walking down the aisle towards me was dead?

I sucked in a deep breath, steeling my resolve. I'd made a commitment to Amy, to our future. Besides, I'd made a promise to myself and, as stupid as it was, to Sydney. I wasn't going to let myself fall back into that pit of despair. I was going to push forward.

There's nothing for you in the past but pain and sorrow. It's time to move on to the future.

With that little pep talk I hauled myself up off the couch and went out to meet my groomsmen for photos.

###

What was I thinking? How could I have ever thought this was a good idea?

I repeated the question over and over again as drummed my fingers nervously across the steering wheel.

Staring out the windshield at the stone building filled me with dread. It was a beautiful building, gorgeous really. I could tell from the design that it had been built in the late 1800's or possibly very early 1900's, but I was so nervous I could barely concentrate on the beautiful stone archways or the ornate wooden doors. I was too worried about what was happening behind those wooden doors.

I watched as a gaggle of men and women laughed and chatted as they entered the church. I didn't know a single one of them, but they all looked so happy. Weddings were supposed to be such happy occasions, but I couldn't have managed a smile of my own if I'd wanted to. And, honestly, at this moment, I was certain I'd never smile again. I pulled my drumming fingers off of the steering wheel and opened the door.

The ceremony was starting soon and I needed to get inside.

###

Guests were filling in the pews, everyone looked happy. They were all smiling and talking with one another. Even my parents looked happy while they chatted with a few royal friends of theirs that they'd insisted I invite. I let myself scan the auras of the crowd quickly. Seeing all of the bright, happy colors somehow relaxed me. Knowing everyone else was happy made me feel like I could be happy too.

"Over here," the photographer waved, getting my attention.

Click.

I blinked, trying to clear the flash from my eyes. I saw Eddie, Christian and Dimitri all doing the same next to me. They were all dressed in identical tuxes. Normally, I'd be joking with the photographer, who was a cute red headed Moroi girl, about how she was sure to get my good side because I didn't have a bad one. But today wasn't a normal day, and I barely knew how I was keeping the phony smile plastered on my face.

"Okay," the red headed photographer smiled. "All of you look straight down the aisle, like you're looking at something in the distance."

She scurried to the side to get a nicely angled shot of all of us standing by the alter as we stared into the distance like she'd asked. I let myself go unfocused again as she snapped away, checking out the crowd's auras.

Blues, reds, greens. They all meant different things, but what mattered was that they were, mostly, all bright as they waited for the ceremony to start. Pinks, oranges, yellows.

Yellows?

My head snapped back from where I'd been scanning. Who in this room had a yellow aura? I looked closer towards the door by the main entrance of the church. It took a second, but I spotted it again. A yellow aura, slightly duller than the rest of the crowd's. But what made this particular aura so special was that it was run through with streaks of purple.

"Excuse me," I said, stepping away from my friends and hurrying down the aisle before I even realized I was doing it.

"I wasn't done," the photographer called from behind me.

When I didn't turn around Eddie said, "We're starting soon."

I waved back at him noncommittally and kept walking. When I got to the doors to the entrance I spotted a blonde head dart outside into the courtyard outside the church. A few people gave me funny looks as I rushed outside, but I was too far gone to care. I had gotten an idea in my head and, even if it turned out to be me finally losing my mind or worse, if it wasn't her, I didn't care. I had to see for myself.

###

I'd spotted him as soon as I walked through the door. He was standing up by the alter, dressed in a fitted black tuxedo that somehow made his green eyes that much brighter. Eddie, Christian and Dimitri were all dressed similarly and were standing beside him as a photographer snapped shots of them. His smile looked fake. Or maybe that was just me wishing it was fake. Wishing he couldn't possibly be happy up there, even though all I'd ever wanted was to make him happy.

My gut had twisted into a knot as I realized he was getting married. Today. In a few minutes. I turned around and took off, heading back out into the courtyard. It was all I could do to make it outside before an embarrassingly shaky breath rattled its way out of my lungs. I leaned my head against the smooth bark of a tree, trying to either gain enough courage to go back inside, or become selfless enough to walk away. A choking noise broke free of my throat and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, silently berating myself for coming here in the first place. This was none of my business. Absolutely none of my business.

"_Sage_?"

My eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice. It was a guttural whisper. A sound so rough that my eyes started to tear up.

"Sage, please?" He took a shaky breath of his own. "If it's you just turn around. I need to see you, even if you're just some hallucination caused by stress and spirit. Please?"

I held in my tears as best I could and turned around, trying to give him a smile. It didn't turn out so well and I ended up blinking back more tears. "Hey, Adrian," I said in what I hoped was a normal voice, despite the tears.

His face crumpled when he saw me. He took in every detail; my face, my hair, my crisp khakis and fitted blue blazer. I hadn't been able to make myself wear the dress I'd bought for the occasion. Dressing up had just made me feel a thousand times worse about what I was planning on doing, so I'd come in professional clothes.

"Sydney," he whispered reverently, reaching out to touch my face, before dropping his hand. He looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the world and he was worried that I might disappear at any moment. "What are you doing here?"

I swallowed. Hard. "I heard you were getting married." I forced the words out passed the lump in my throat. "I couldn't not make an appearance for that, right?"

He just kept looking at me in that haunted way. "You're not dead," was all he said.

My eyes widened and a few tears escaped. They rolled down my cheeks. "You thought I was dead? You saw..."

He only nodded, but he stepped closer. This time when he reached out to touch me he didn't drop his hand at the last second. His warm fingers brushed against my face, wiping away the tracks of my fallen tears. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. It had been so long since he'd touched me.

"It was part of my escape plan," I whispered. "I didn't think you'd see it before I could get to you. I swear. I never would have put you through that if—"

"It's okay," he said soothingly, still stroking my cheek. "Who were you escaping from?"

"The Alchemists."

He squeezed his eyes shut, looking angry. "I knew they had you. I _knew_ it! Why the hell did I stop looking for you?"

"You wouldn't have found me," I said, taking the hand that wasn't stroking my cheek in mine and leading him to a bench under the tree. Once we were seated he took my other hand and we sat there, fingers entwined, as I told him what had happened.

"They took me, and pumped me full of so many chemicals I wouldn't have recognized you if you had been able to find me. They said I had been so warped by vampire magic I needed a 'system reset'. I couldn't remember my own name for awhile after they finally let me out of Re-education." His fingers squeezed mine tight and I heard his breathing increase a little, like he was trying to remain calm. "It... I, um, didn't remember most of what happened in Palm Springs until last year, when I was sent to California for a conference. I started getting flashbacks. Then, on instinct or something, I drove to Amberwood. Ms. Terwilliger found me stumbling around campus having mini-panic attacks every time a flash back hit. It was like I was all of a sudden remembering parallel pasts. I remembered being terrified of all of you, but also joking around with Jill while Eddie and Angeline trained on West Campus. It was painful, trying to separate what was fact and what was fiction. Ms. Terwilliger hid me from the Alchemists and helped me remember."

Adrian was hanging on every word I said, his attention so focused on me I could feel his gaze burning into the side of my face, but I couldn't look up at him. I looked at our hands, wrapped together like nothing bad could ever tear us apart.

"That was last year?" he asked softly.

I nodded, understanding his meaning. "Yeah. It took a long time to sort through the memories. And then..." I took a deep breath. "And then, once I remembered, I was scared to contact you."

Adrian didn't say anything, but I still felt his eyes on me.

"The Alchemists were searching for me. They probably had you under surveillance. But that wasn't the only reason. I was... Adrian, I was gone for so long. Once I remembered it was like no time had passed for me. I still felt the same way I did that day they took me. But you? I had no idea how you would feel. I was so scared you would hate me forever. I'm still scared."

"I could never hate you, Sydney," he whispered, but other than that he didn't say what he was feeling.

I smiled a little. "Well, that's good. But you probably should."

"Why? Sage, the only people I hate are the Alchemists. What they did to you was wrong. They can't take people's lives from them just because—"

"Just because that person is in love with a vampire and they have photographic evidence that proves it," I finished for him. "They put me in front a group of Alchemists and showed everyone pictures of us together. Holding hands, kissing. They felt it was proof enough that I'd been corrupted beyond repair. I hated them too. I just wanted my life back. To stop hiding. So Ms. Terwilliger and I came up with a plan. We staged it to look like I slipped up, let the Alchemists find me. We were in a car chase, I lost control of the car and went into the river."

"But you'd planned it?" Adrian asked, but I could hear the certainty in his voice. He was beginning to put the pieces together.

"It was Ms. Terwilliger's idea to fake my death. I cast a spell as I went into the river. It made it look like I'd died, but it had really just put me in a state of unconsciousness. We'd contacted my mom before all of this, so when she came to collect my body she refused to let anyone touch me but her. Supposedly she had me cremated and sprinkled in the ocean."

Adrian reached up and brushed a strand of hair from my face so he could see me. "But you weren't. You're here, with me."

I nodded.

"So why do you think I should hate you?" he asked confused.

"Because," I whispered. "Because I came here, knowing that you were getting married. I freaked out when I found out. Three days ago I did a location spell and saw you! I saw you with her, at your rehearsal dinner. I panicked and drove here. I just... I don't know!" Tears were streaming down my face and I looked back down to my lap. He'd already pulled one hand away and I watched with a broken heart as he pulled his other hand away too.

"You came here to stop me from getting married?" he asked, his voice sounding rough.

I nodded, miserably. "I'm a terrible person," I cried. "A selfish, _selfish_ person. We dated for like two months, four years ago. What right do I have to come here and try to break up—"

I never got to finish my sentence because Adrian's hands were turning my head toward him and his lips crashed down on mine. And then everything that was wrong with the world melted away, all of that stress and fear was gone under the pressure of his lips. So soft against mine, so warm. All I wanted was to live in this moment. To just stay here, tucked away from everything, underneath this tree with Adrian.

But, of course, that wasn't possible. He pulled away abruptly and I leaned forward trying to maintain contact, but he was already standing, backing away.

"I... Sage, you... and I don't... I can't." He stuttered over his words as he put space between us. His cheeks were red and he was looking around the empty courtyard, as if he was afraid someone might have caught him doing something wrong. Which, of course, he had been. Kissing me was wrong. I was wrong to have come here. He was getting married! What was wrong with me?

"I understand," I said lowly. I took a deep breath and stood up, preparing myself to walk away. To leave him to his life. I'd just have to find one of my own. I was sure, with a little time, I'd be fine. I could live without Adrian. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here."

"No, Sage," he said, shaking his head. "Don't. You don't understand. I need a few minutes... to think. Just stay here, okay? Please?" His voice took on a desperate edge. "Please, don't leave me again."

I sat back down on the bench, feeling like I was made of lead. "Okay."

He sighed, relieved. "Thank you. I'll be back. Just... just wait right here. I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

I nodded, but he didn't leave right away. He kept watching me, looking like he was afraid I'd disappear again.

"It's okay. I'll be here when you get back," I whispered. And with that reassurance he took a step back finally, and then turned and went back into the church.

I closed my eyes, wiping the remaining tears from my face. I probably looked terrible. But I was feeling better. Or, sort of better. I still felt terrible for ruining the wedding. Whether Adrian decided to call off his wedding or not, it was still ruined. And I was so worried that he was going to come back saying that he was getting married. Or worse, if he didn't come back at all. What if he didn't come back and instead I had to sit hear and listen to the sounds coming from the church as they got married? Because I would stay here and listen. I couldn't leave if Adrian asked me to stay. I wouldn't leave until he told me to.

"Sydney?" I heard a voice calling my name across the courtyard. I looked up to see Jill running out of the church in a beautiful blue bridesmaid dress, her light brown curls bouncing behind her. "_Sydney_!"

I barely had time to stand before she was throwing herself into my arms. The bouquet of flowers she'd been holding fell, forgotten, to our feet as we hugged.

"Jill, you look so beautiful," I said softly. Then I noticed Rose and Eddie walking slowly across the grass towards us. Rose was in her guardian uniform of a white shirt and black pants, but Eddie was also wearing a tux. I suddenly realized that he had been standing up at the alter next to Adrian. He must have been one of the groomsmen.

Jill pulled back a little, but kept her arms locked tightly around me. "Oh, Sydney!" she cried. "We thought that you... And Adrian! He looked for you for so long! I can't believe it! You're here!" She pulled me back in and squeezed me.

Rose looked confused, but genuinely pleased to see me. Eddie , however, looked a little angry. When Jill finally let go, Eddie took his turn hugging me. "I'm glad you're here, Sydney. I really am," he murmured into my ear. "We've all missed you. But I have to know," he said. "Why did you leave? How could you do that to us?"

"It wasn't my choice," I told him honestly. "The Alchemists kidnapped me."

He looked taken aback, as did the others, even Jill. "They kidnapped you?" she screeched. I guess she hadn't heard that part through the bond she and Adrian shared.

"Why?" Rose asked. Her voice was calm, but I could see the fury burning in her brown eyes. It was the look she got whenever someone messed with her friends, and it warned me to think she cared about me still after all these years. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'll explain later," I told her. I sat back down on the stone bench, feeling utterly exhausted. "I can't think about it right now. I just... I need a little while," I said.

She and Eddie nodded, but Jill seemed to realize there was more to my mood than just wanting time to think. She took a step toward me. "Sydney, Adrian's... He's..."

"He's getting married!" Rose laughed. "Right now, actually." She looked around like she'd just realized what time it was and couldn't figure out why they were all outside talking to me. "We should go inside. You two need to get to your places before the ceremony." She gestured to Eddie and Jill, motioning them into the church. "You too, Sydney. Come on." She gave me a welcoming smile and I swallowed the lump in my throat trying not to cry.

Eddie and Jill exchanged a knowing glance, but looked at a loss for words. They both knew that Adrian and I had been dating when I'd disappeared, but I guessed no one had informed Rose of it. Or maybe she just didn't think it was a huge deal, seeing as Adrian had moved on.

"Um, I don't think I'm going to go inside," I said quietly. I patted the bench I was sitting on. "I'm pretty comfortable right here."

"But..." Rose started to say, but then something flashed over her face—recognition maybe?—and she nodded. Maybe someone had told her about me and Adrian after all.

We sat there in the most awkward silence I'd ever experienced for a few seconds before we heard footsteps on the grass. Jill spun around, a big, happy smile on her face and I could see Adrian behind her. He looked tired and upset, but he was back. I felt the corners of my mouth twitch just at the sight of him.

"Could you guys gives us a few minutes?" he asked, his eyes on me. "Sydney and I need to talk."

They nodded a scurried back into the church without another word. Adrian sighed, running a hand through his hair, and sat down next to me again. I had an urge to brush his hair out of his face, but my hand remained in my lap. I had to remind myself that his hair was no longer mine to touch, as much as I wished it was.

"So I just had the most uncomfortable conversation of my life," he said, then shocked me by leaning against me and burying his face in my hair. His lips brushed the skin of my neck once in the barest of kisses, before he pulled back to look at me. "I called it off," he said, his green eyes tired looking but bright with emotion. With hope. "I told her the truth. That I love you and couldn't marry her. She wasn't exactly pleased with me, but I think she understood. That's kind of what drew us together in the first place, you know. She always just let me do my own thing and understood..." He shook his head. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I'm just... nervous, I guess."

I finally managed to pull myself together enough to talk. "You don't need to be nervous," I murmured. "I'm here."

Adrian flashed me a smile so bright it was like looking into the sun. He didn't look tired anymore. "You are," he said, cupping the back of my head and bringing my lips up to meet his.

I don't know how long we kissed for. I was lost in another world, a world where only the two of us existed. A world I'd been dreaming about for so long now that I could hardly believe I was actually here, with him. After what seemed like an eternity, but still far too soon for my liking, he pulled back with a laugh. "I've missed that. I've missed you," he said. "And I want to continue getting reacquainted," he smirked, "but we should probably get out of here. A lot of pissed off people are going to be coming out of that church soon and I'd really rather them not see us together. I don't want them thinking this is your fault and saying anything to you."

His eyes and voice were so earnest, so protective, that I closed my eyes and leaned into his chest. "Okay," I said. "Let's get out of here." I leaned up to kiss his cheek. "We have a lot to talk about anyway."

He nodded, smiling down at me, and helped me up. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "We could go get something to eat. Or we could just go back to my place?" I gave him a look out of the corner of my eye as I led him to my car in the parking lot and he laughed. "I didn't mean it like that," he said. "I wasn't trying to be presumptuous."

I threw him a smirk and sped my pace a little. "Why not?" I asked over my shoulder. "I was."

I heard his footsteps pause before speeding up. He caught up a second later, throwing an arm around my shoulders and smiling. I unlocked my car and handed him the keys. "I'm kind of hungry, though," I admitted. "So we can eat first if you want."

He leaned in and kissed me once we were in the car. "Can I ask you a weird question?" he said as he pulled out of the parking lot, leaving everything behind to be with me. The life that he'd made for himself since I'd disappeared.

I smiled, more grateful than he'd ever know to have him in my life. "You can ask me as many weird questions as you want," I said. "I've missed your weird questions."

He smiled and glanced around the car. "Did you steal this or is it a rental?"

I was caught of guard by the question. It was more random than I had been expecting. "It's a rental," I said.

He nodded like he'd thought that was the case. "How did you rent it? I mean, I'm sure the Alchemists would know if your name popped up in some car rental database. And you're too smart for something like that."

I grinned, already knowing where this was going. "I used an alias," I admitted. He glanced over at me, the question already in his eyes. I reached down and pulled my fake ID out of my purse, handing it over without a word.

He took it, looking down at it then back up to the road before laughing. "Taylor," he said. "Taylor Steele. The perfect name." He smiled at me and I bit my lip, wanting to climb over the console and into his lap, regardless of whether or not he was driving.

"Although I have to admit," he added. "I have an affinity for Sydney's myself. Specifically cute little blondes named Sydney Sage." He gave me that roguish grin that always made my heart stop. "But I'll settle for a Sydney Ivashkov too."

I couldn't stop the grin from breaking out on my face, or the way I leaned into his side of the car and kissed him, even though it was dangerous with him driving. "Why don't we wait for your first wedding day to pass before you propose a second, huh?" I smoothed his messy hair back into place, still leaning across the console. "But I'll admit, I do the like ring of it."

"Oh, you'll like the ring alright. Trust me." He kissed me one more time before turning his attention to the road and taking us to dinner. I settled back into my seat, smiling stupidly at him and feeling happy and grateful and safe for the first time in a very long while.


	29. Taste

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Can you believe they're already releasing the cover of The Fiery Heart soon? The 28th, I think. That's awesome and I can't wait to see it! Anyone want to bet that it'll be purple? That's my guess at least.**

**Anyway, here's a new chapter. It doesnt have any real spoilers for TIS if you still haven't read it. Hope you guys enjoy it. It gets a little hot at the end there ;) Review and let me know what you think!**

"You don't have to do this, Sydney?" Adrian said fiercely, beside me.

The trouble was, I did. And I knew it.

Adrian and I had been summoned to the Moroi Court for more spirit research. I'd been told by the Alchemists that Sonya Karp, the leading researcher of spirit, had requested my presence. They decided it was a good idea considering they wanted me to submit a report detailing any progress the Moroi had made in their research.

I'd had a pretty good idea what Sonya wanted me for but hadn't mentioned it to the Alchemists. They'd probably freak out and turn this into some sort of interracial affair. Sonya's been after my blood for months now, trying to get a sample for someone on the research team to taste. I'd admit, that sounded much worse than it was and, considering my blood was repugnant to Strigoi, I understood where she was coming from. But giving blood and knowing it was going to be... tasted? The thought alone sent shivers down my spine, nearly undoing all of the progress I'd made towards vampires in the past year.

I had made progress in my feelings towards Moroi and dhampirs, the leaps and bounds kind of progress. Not only was I friends, good friends, with a whole slew of them, but I was also romantically involved with the Moroi sitting next to me. The Moroi looking at me with concern in his beautiful green eyes as I pondered what to do.

I looked over at Sonya, seated across the table from me. We were at dinner at the Moroi palace which might have once given me pause, but now I took it all in stride. Even Sonya's request that I let her sample my blood.

"I'm not sure I can," I admitted. "I understand why you need it, Sonya, I really do. But you have to understand why I'm having a hard time agreeing to this."

"We understand," Dimitri said. He was sitting a few chairs down, next to Rose. "And we're not trying to force you into anything." He said that with a meaningful glance at Adrian. Guess he remembered what happened last time they'd pushed me for a blood sample. "But it could be of great use to our research. If Strigoi can't drink your blood, if no vampire can, and we can synthesize it somehow, we could put an end to Strigoi. Forever."

I nodded, knowing he was right. I pushed the food around on my plate with my fork, wondering what I should do. Adrian pulled the fork out of my hand and held my fingers between his.

"It's not your problem, Sage," he said. "You don't want some Moroi tasting your blood. That's a legitimate concern. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Adrian," Sonya said, exasperated. "Let the girl think about it. If she doesn't want to we aren't going to force her, but give her the chance to decide."

Adrian scowled at her. "I know she doesn't want to do this. I can see it on her. And you can too! That's the worst part. You don't care that she's uncomfortable, all you care about is your stupid research."

"It's not stupid research," Sonya exclaimed, starting to get upset.

"It is when it comes at the price of someone's safety," Adrian argued back.

"Sydney would be perfectly safe," Rose said, trying to break up the fight before they could really get going. "It'd be just like giving blood."

"No." Adrian turned on her, the fierceness in his eyes unwavering as he spoke to his ex-girlfriend. "She wouldn't _feel_ safe and that's the only thing that matters."

I could see that this was about to erupt even more than it already had. I placed my hand on Adrian's arm, pulling his attention back to me. While they were fighting a thought had occurred to me. I still wasn't quite sure about it, but it was the only solution to the problem I could think of that I was willing to try.

Once I was sure he was focused on me I lifted my chin confidently and said, "You do it."

A murmur broke out from the group surrounding us but Adrian's eyes never left mine. He shook his head slightly. "No," he breathed.

"You're the only one I want to do it." I gave him a weak smile, hoping I looked calm. "You're the only one I trust."

"No," he said again, his voice firmer this time.

I grinned. "What? Afraid I'll taste bad?"

"Sydney," he said, green eyes serious. He placed a hand on my cheek. "Don't make this into a joke."

My smile faded and I took a deep breath. "I'm not joking," I said earnestly. "You're the only one I trust to do this. And it needs to happen. You know it does." My smile made a brief reappearance as I leaned closer to him. "Besides, it's not like you've never used your teeth on my neck before."

Adrian dropped his hand a shook his head again. He looked appalled that I'd even consider asking him to taste my blood. "Kissing's different," he said firmly. "What you're asking me to do is something else entirely. And what if you change your mind after? What if you get scared? What if you're traumatized or something?"

"Adrian," I reached for him, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning into his chest. "I love you. I'm not afraid of you. Please?" I asked. "Please, do this for me? For everyone?"

As Adrian held me to his chest and stroked my hair I realized the room had gone quiet around us. Finally Adrian pulled back just enough to look at me.

"Fine," he said, giving in. A small smirk found its way to his lips, making him look more like his normal self. "But promise me you won't get mad if I end up gagging on your blood."

I scrunched my nose in disgust, but promised I wouldn't get mad. He took a long, deep breath before sighing. "Fine," he said again. "Let's go." He reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me to my feet, then turned to look at everyone. "We'll be back in a bit."

The others nodded, a bit mystified that I was actually letting Adrian bite me instead of just giving them a sample. But it didn't matter what they thought. They had asked for my blood to taste, and this was the only way they were getting it.

Adrian led me back to his guest room in the palace and pulled me down next to him on the bed. Being on a bed with him always set off a flurry of butterflies within me, but this time it was for a completely different reason.

He brushed some hair away from my neck and ran a long finger down the length of it, trailing it down my collarbone and causing me to shutter. "Sydney. Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Yup," I whispered, leaning forward to place my lips on his. He didn't want to bite me, but he'd never turn down kissing me, so I figured I'd start with that. It worked perfectly. He sighed against my lips, deepening the kiss and pulling me closer to him.

Soon we were lost in a world of our own, kissing and touching and just feeling. We ended up sprawled across the mattress, legs tangled, Adrian's hands skimming my ribs under my shirt. After what felt like forever his lips finally made their way down my neck and to a spot just below my ear. He kissed me there hard, hard enough that I was pretty sure he was trying to give me a hickey, but then I felt the sharp pain of fangs piercing my skin and realized what was happening and panic set in.

He was biting me. A _vampire_ was biting me. No. _Adrian Ivashkov_ was biting me.

Before I could make myself relax at that knowledge, the endorphins kicked in and I was floating in a blissful, perfect haze. I remembered this from when the Strigoi had bitten me but it was so much better this time. Adrian wasn't trying to kill me and we were in bed together and I wanted him so badly...

"Ugh," I complained as he pulled away from me too soon. I reached out, trying to bring his mouth back to my throat, but my arms just flailed a little before falling to my sides. I stared up at the ceiling as he grabbed a glass of water next to his bed and rinsed his mouth.

"Sage, no offense," he said, sounding disgusted, "but you taste terrible."

It took a minute for my chemical induced stupor to fade but when it did I rolled onto my side and looked at him. "What was it like?" I asked quietly.

He grinned a little. "Absolutely terrible. Like I need to go find a mint or something to get this aftertaste out of my mouth." He cringed a little." It's gotta be your magic protecting you, which is good. Maybe we can ask Jackie to let us—"

"No," I said, sitting up a bit in bed.

"Okay," he said, putting his hands up in from of him. "We won't ask her. It's okay."

"No." I shook my head. "I don't mean that. I mean..." I swallowed, still feeling a little dazed. "I mean how was it? To bite me? Did it feel... good? Because I know it feels good for you when it's intimate and we were kissing and... stuff." I gestured towards his lap, the evidence of how good he'd been feeling obvious. "Was it nice even though my blood tastes bad?"

He looked shocked I'd asked something like that, but I couldn't help it. I was so worked up and the endorphins had reduced my inhibitions a bit.

Finally he shifted closer to me on the bed. "Sydney," he whispered, brushing my hair away from my neck. His fingers found the spot he'd bitten and a warm feeling spread over my skin. He was healing me, I realized. "It doesn't matter if I liked it, it only matters if you did," he said gently, stroking the skin on my throat.

I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent before looking back at him. "I did," I whispered. "I liked it a lot."

He closed his eyes and leaned down to bury his face in the crook of my neck. "Oh, Sydney," he groaned.

"I don't mean I want you to bite me all the time or anything," I amended, my senses finally returning entirely. "But if it's not too terrible for you, maybe we could do it occasionally? If it's too gross that's okay. I understand."

His lips touched the skin of my neck once, twice, three times, before he pulled back to look at me. "Biting you felt amazing," he admitted, his hands coming up to cup my face. "It's... It's like sex, I guess. When you love the person, anyway. Biting you was unlike anything I've ever felt before. Yeah, your blood's not the best I've ever had, but I'm not really biting you for your blood. And if you like the way it feels than I'm more than happy to help you out on occasion," he said with a smirk.

I returned his smirk with one of my own. "Good to know," I said. "We should probably get back to the others and let them know I taste gross to Moroi as well as Strigoi."

Adrian nodded and took a deep breath. "Alright. Just give me a few minutes," he said.

I was suddenly reminded that he was feeling just as worked up as I was. "Well, maybe it can wait a little while," I said, shrugging playfully. "It's not like my blood's going anywhere." I smiled, biting my lip, and crawled closer to him, pushing on his shoulders until he was lying against the pillows.

"That's true," he said laughed, pulling me down against him. "Unless you want it to, that is." He grinned up at me before lowering his lips back to my neck and sending me into ecstasy, without the help of his endorphins this time.


	30. Meeting

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Finally, after what felt like forever working on it, here's the sequel chapter to Pink Blanket. I know there have been other Adrianna chapters, but this one's more like a direct sequel. I hope you enjoy it! Review and let me know what you think!**

**P.S. There's a pretty cool writing conference coming up in March that may or may not interest some of you guys. It's called Teen Author Boot Camp and is going to be broadcast online for anyone who wants to check it out. It's aimed at teen authors (ahem some of you) but is open to everyone worldwide (ahem the rest of you) and has a lot of great authors giving classes like Kiersten White *bugs out a little*! So if you're interested look it up (because I can't post a link). It only costs like $5 for a pass so I'll definitely be checking it out! Sorry for the long sales pitchy message. I'm just excited for it and wanted to share :)**

I wasn't normally such a nervous person, but as we pulled up to our destination I was shaking a little. Because of the... diverse group we were meeting we decided it would be better to do it in a completely neutral place. Rose suggested a small, but busy hotel not far from Court.

"You okay?" Adrian asked, laying his hand on top of my trembling one.

I closed my eyes and nodded, before getting out of the car. Adrian got out too, and then opened the back door and pulled out the small surprise we had in store for all of the most important people in our lives. I took a deep breath and smiled at the sight of Adrian holding our daughter in his arms.

Since he and most of our friends had rescued me and Adrianna from Re-education about a month ago he'd barely let her out of his sight. Or me for that matter, but he couldn't very well carry me around all day long, so he settled for just her. He pulled her small, pink winter jacket tighter around her and then wrapped her in a blanket as well. She smiled up at him, completely uncaring of what the weather was like outside in Pennsylvania on a cold, winter afternoon. She was too enthralled with him to care. I couldn't blame her. I was too.

"Come on," he said, wrapping his free arm around my waist and leading me into the hotel.

Before we'd even stepped inside I could see that the guardians were already in place. Rose had picked this hotel because, not only was it neutral ground for all groups involved, but it was close enough to Court that she could easily call in guardian backup if need be. The Queen's Royal guard was already stationed inside and outside under pretense of the Queen's presence, but when the guards nodded at us as we walked in I knew they were aware of their real assignment here.

Protecting me and Adrianna.

Adrian and I had been in hiding for the past month, trying to stay off the Alchemist's radar. They hadn't exactly been pleased with Adrian's little jailbreak and were "conducting an investigation", which basically translated to man hunt. They were searching for us, and today, in this hotel, we were going to take our stand.

Oddly enough, it was my mother and Adrian's father who finally convinced us enough was enough. My mother, because she'd heard that I had escaped from Re-education and wanted to see me, but couldn't so long as the Alchemists were investigating me. I was pretty sure Adrian's dad was less concerned with seeing Adrian or me and more concerned with putting an end to all of the gossip that seemed to be centered around the Ivashkov name, recently.

The Moroi royals, it turned out, were a talkative bunch and gossip spread faster at Court than it ever had at Amberwood. The moment I'd escaped, the Alchemists were already on the phone with Lissa demanding our location. Lissa had claimed ignorance. The Alchemists had security footage of the ordeal, implicating Adrian, Dimitri and Eddie, but the three didn't really seem to care and Lissa had agreed to hold off any hostilities, from the Alchemists or Moroi, towards us until we came up with a plan. She'd put her neck on the line for us and I owed her big time for that.

She'd also gotten messages passed along from my mom to me. For someone I barely knew, someone who was dealing with the responsibilities of a queen, Lissa was an extraordinary friend. I made a mental note to think of a way to properly thank her. I wasn't sure if I'd ever think of one, but I was certainly going to try.

Adrian paused in front of a set of double wooden doors that led to the small conference room Rose had booked for this meeting. "Do you want to just go in or should one of us stay out here with Adrianna?" he asked, sounding torn.

I knew he didn't want to leave me, but bringing Adrianna into a room full of people that didn't know she existed might get a little... intense.

"I think you should wait out here," I told him. "You can bring her in once I've explained everything."

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly. He bounced Adrianna slightly in his arms as she started to doze off. "I could go in if you wanted to wait with her..."

He trailed off as I shook my head. He knew I needed to do this myself. He leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. Closing my eyes, I leaned into him, smiling. I kissed our daughter's wispy blonde head before taking a deep breath and turning back to the door.

Adrian sat down in a leather chair next to the guardian who's position apparently meant guarding the hallway outside the conference room. For a moment I just let myself watch over my shoulder as Adrian rocked our daughter to sleep. But I knew I couldn't put this meeting off any longer. It was too important.

This meeting could mean a life for me and Adrian. A family for Adrianna. It meant a future. I took a brave step toward the wooden door and pushed it open.

Sixteen pairs of eyes stared back at me as I entered the room. It was a nice room. Muted tones and wooden accents, a long mahogany conference table set in the center. Eight of the most important people in my life, and Adrian's, all seated around it. Staring at me.

_You can do it, Sydney. Just a little more._ I reminded myself that this was the finish line, or it had the potential to be. _Just one more burst of energy and you never have to worry about it again._

"Sydney!" My mom gasped when she saw me. She started to stand, but my dad put a hand on her arm. Silently telling her to stay in her seat next to him. I wanted to roll my eyes, but I figured I'd get to see her soon enough anyway. Might as well get this meeting over with as soon as possible.

"Miss Sage," said a middle aged woman seated at the far end of the table, slightly further away than everyone else. "Thank you for coming today."

I gave her a tight-lipped smile. I liked Donna Stanton, but it was hard to look at her—at any Alchemist—the same way after everything I'd been through. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw something flash through her eyes at my wariness.

"I'm glad the Alchemists agreed to this meeting," I said, my voice taking on a very business-like quality. "We have a lot to discuss."

"Yes, yes, of course," she nodded. Everyone around the table nodded in unison.

Well, at least they weren't all fighting. Yet. I took a deep breath and then started this meeting off the way I'd practiced over an over again on the car ride over.

"Thank you all for coming," I said, smiling warmly at everyone in the room. "We asked for you to meet us today because Adrian and I are done running. As many of you are aware, the Alchemists are searching for us." Stanton started to interrupt but I pushed on. "I was being held in an Alchemist Re-education center for the better part of this year and now they're looking for me to put me back in one. Can you deny that, ma'am?" I asked Stanton pointedly.

"No," she answered honestly.

"I'm here today to plead my case," I said calmly. "And when I'm finished, I hope we can all come to some sort of agreement. Because after today I am done. I am no longer an Alchemist." I glanced back and forth between Stanton and my father. "Adrian and I will run if we have to, we'll dig a hole in the side of a mountain to hide in if that's the what it takes to stay off the grid, but I will never let you split up my family. Ever again."

Both Alchemists looked taken aback by my growled declaration, as did most everyone else in the room. I took another deep breath and began telling my story. Once I was done I was hoping these people would understand my plea for amnesty.

I barely got further than the word _pregnant_ before the fighting broke out.

###

I leaned close to Adrianna, causing a squeal of delight to escape from her lips. She beamed up at me, completely oblivious to the argument going on in the other room.

I felt terrible about letting Sydney go in there by herself, but it was something she wanted to handle on her own. She still felt like the Alchemists and all the trouble they were causing was her fault somehow. She knew how much I disagreed with her on that subject, but, listening to them argue now, I knew she was right about not bring Adrianna in right away. All that would accomplish is to piss everyone in that room off a little bit more and to upset the kid while we were at it.

"And you knew!" A man's voice was saying. Or, well, yelling really. I assumed the voice belonged to Sydney's dad from his next sentence. "You knew she was pregnant and didn't bother to inform me?"

"It was need to know information, Jared," a female voice replied. I recognized her as Sydney's supervisor, Stanton something or other. I'd only met her once, what felt like forever ago now. When she'd questioned me after Sydney and I had been attacked by Strigoi in my apartment.

"And my wife and I didn't need to know?" Jared sounded angry, but I couldn't be sure if that was a good thing of not.

"She was placed in Re-education," Stanton said simply. "You know the family has no contact of any kind when an Alchemist is... being helped."

Was it just me or did Stanton sound a little uncertain of herself? I concentrated a little harder on the conversation going on behind the double doors, while still trying to keep Adrianna entertained after the mini nap she'd just woke up from. Sydney's dad yelled about having the right to know vital health information about his daughter even if she was in Re-education. A female voice jumped in yelling about Sydney having the right not to be locked away in the first place. I smiled a little, figuring that was probably Sydney's mom. If it was, I liked the woman already.

I couldn't hear my parents at all. I figured they were probably sitting on the sidelines, taking in all the information, but not having any to contribute themselves. They were more here as a courtesy than anything else. Well, my dad anyway. Lissa had gone through some trouble helping me get Mom special permission to come to this meeting even though she was still serving a prison sentence for fraud. I only invited my dad because of family obligation. I hoped that didn't prove to be a bad idea in the end.

After a few more minutes of Sydney's parents and Stanton bickering back and forth, I finally heard a voice that made me smile. "What you all seem to be forgetting," Jackie Terwilliger said smoothly, "is that Sydney is not merely an Alchemist. Miss Sage is a witch. A damn good one. And you have no right to take her into any sort of custody. I don't care what your organization states about proper behavior or interracial relationships."

This was what we had been banking on. We needed a solid way to get the Alchemists off our back and this seemed like the best way to do that. Jackie was a strong, outspoken, and sometimes downright scary witch who had always been supportive of both Sydney's developing magical abilities and her relationship with me. We'd been in touch with her since the jailbreak and had come up with a plan of attack. Jackie would hit them with the "Sydney's a witch" card and the Alchemists would back off. I hoped she knew some sort of spell that would make everyone in that room agreeable so that way they could come to a decision. Hopefully one that benefited us.

Our plan seemed to be half working. I could hear more arguments break out about whether being magically inclined—as Stanton so eloquently put it—meant Sydney should no longer be considered an Alchemist. We were basically playing a label game. Mark Sydney with a new label and maybe people would see her as part of that group and stop fighting over her.

What pissed me off was that they weren't fighting for Sydney. They were fighting for the right to punish her. Punish her for being with me. And she was barely saying anything in there! I knew she had to let them fight it out, but hearing them talk about her like she wasn't in there was infuriating.

Adrianna made a happy cooing sound that put a smile on my face even though what was happening behind those doors was driving me insane.

"We're gonna get through this. Don't worry, baby," I whispered to her, which earned me a look from the guardian standing next to me, but he didn't say anything. I knew the kid wasn't actually worried, she was smiling at me without a care in the world. And Sydney and I had to make sure it stayed that way.

I heard footsteps from down the hall and the guardian—I probably should've asked his name—turned a split second before I did. Two girls were paused at the entrance to the short hallway that led to the conference room. One was probably around my age, with blonde hair, and the other looked to be about Jill's age. She had brown hair. But what gave me pause wasn't that they were clearly heading into the conference room, or looked shocked to see a Moroi sitting outside with a baby.

No, it was that they both looked remarkably like Sydney.

"Hi," I smiled warmly at them.

###

"Alright," Lissa finally said about an hour later. She'd been mostly quiet during the meeting, except to take charge when things got out of hand. "I think everyone agrees that Moroi and humans should not mix. It's dangerous for both worlds."

I sighed internally at that. They'd been going on and on about how wrong what Adrian and I had done was. Or, well, my dad and Stanton had made it abundantly clear. My father went as far as to say I should go live "with those cave people", meaning the Keepers, of course. There wasn't much I could say. I'd realized early on in this meeting that my father was releasing all of his frustration with me, but he wasn't saying that I should be put back into Re-education so I appreciated that, at least. Stanton on the other hand didn't seem to be arguing about me at all. It was like she was talking about some other Alchemist, someone who wasn't in the room. She didn't bash me or anything, just kept her thoughts mostly hypothetical as they discussed my fate. I got the feeling that she, wasn't on my side exactly, but wasn't fighting against me as hard as another Alchemist might. And since she and my father were the only Alchemists in the room, my confidence level shot up a bit. Maybe this meeting was going to end on a good note.

"But," Lissa continued. "Sydney isn't just a human. She's got magical abilities most humans don't possess. And she knows plenty about our world and its rules."

"Yes," Stanton admitted. "And she's broken some of those rules already."

My father closed his eyes, looking like he had a headache. My mom sat next to him, looking fiercely interested in the result of this conversation. Mrs. Terwilliger, who had fought on my side this whole time, gave me a small smile. Adrian's parents sat at the end of the conference table looking resigned. They hadn't said anything at all since I'd walked in, aside from Mrs. Ivashkov's gasp when I'd admitted that I'd had Adrian's child. Nathan had just shaken his head.

"She may have broken the rules, but she has payed for them. She was in your Re-education center for ten months. And during that time the Alchemists kept her child as well. That was not your right to do so. The child was born to a member of the royal families and therefore, dhampir or not, should have been handed over immediately."

I tried not to scrunch my face up in confusion, although I was confused about Lissa's argument. I was pretty sure she was making it up on the spot, if Mr. and Mrs. Ivashkov's faces were any indicator. Nathan started to open his mouth to say something, but his wife shushed him.

"It was not our intention to withhold the child," Stanton said. "But at the time we weren't sure who the father was. There was no way to be certain." At Lissa's hard look Stanton gave in. "You're right though. We should have worked harder to find the father and deliver the child to him."

"So now that the child is with the father, your group is not going to pursue this further?" Lissa asked, but it didn't sound like a question.

Stanton agreed.

"And since Sydney is a magic user who has already been punished for her actions, your group will stop any pursuit of her as well?"

I saw Stanton exchange a quick look with my father before nodding once. "Yes. While the Alchemists are not pleased that one of our facilities was broken into and a member of our association removed from said facility, we believe it is more important to end this civilly. There's no need for further interracial incidents."

As she spoke, Stanton glanced around the table, meeting the eyes of the Queen of the Moroi as well as Ms. Terwilliger. I was reminded that the Alchemists had only recently been made aware that witches well and truly existed in this world. And I doubted they wanted to see any sort of magical rebellion break out because of me.

"I agree," Lissa stated in the most queenly voice I'd ever heard from her. "And I will see to it that the Moroi and dhampir's who broke into your facility will be punished for their actions. But your investigation on Sydney Sage will be closed immediately." With her long blonde hair up in a professional looking twist and the navy pant suit she was wearing, Lissa looked more like a lawyer than a queen, but I was glad for the finality her stately voice projected.

Ms. Terwilliger stood. "I agree, as well. And I hope this never has to go any further than this room," she added with a meaningful look towards Stanton.

In that moment, with the eyes of everyone in the room burning into her, I felt bad for Stanton. I knew my friends were only trying to protect me and my family, but I had a feeling in my gut that that's what Stanton was trying to do as well. During the hour long argument they'd had over my fate, Stanton hadn't seemed to be fighting her hardest to have me thrown back into Re-education. I sent her a small smile, trying to indicate that I appreciated her help. She didn't exactly smile back, but she did give me a brisk nod that I took to mean she had gotten the message.

"I do believe we're all done here," Lissa said, sliding her chair back and standing. She smiled graciously at everyone in the room. "I thank you all for coming to help settle this mess. I know none of us want this becoming a bigger problem than it already is so it's good that it's taken care of now."

I knew I should probably be the one thanking everyone for coming, this was my meeting after all, but it seemed more diplomatic for Lissa to take control now. I was worried opening my mouth would cause everyone in the room to change their minds and send me back to Re-education. So I stood quietly with the others and watched as they said their goodbyes, preparing to leave now that the little matter of my family and future was wrapped up.

Rose walked over to speak to me but barely got a hello out before the doors to the conference room opened and Adrian walked in, a baby in his arms and my two sisters following behind him like he was the pied piper or something. I guess they'd come along with my parents but hadn't been invited to the meeting itself. Everyone, especially my father, watched with wide, shocked eyes as Adrian walked up to me and smiled. Carly gave me a bright smile too, wrapping her arms around me, but then she turned away and was smiling and cooing at Adrianna. Even Zoe was smiling, although she still kept her distance from Adrian. She was close enough to touch the baby in his arms though, which is closer than I would have ever thought she'd be to a vampire.

"It's nice to see you guys, too," I grumbled teasingly. They both turned and smiled at me. Zoe had a few tears in her eyes as she watched me, but she didn't move closer.

"You're chopped liver compared to the kid," Adrian laughed, handing Adrianna over to me. "You should have seen them fighting over who got to hold her first in the hallway."

"Did not!" Zoe said, looking a little embarrassed. But she settled down when Carly laughed.

"Yes we did. She's our _niece_," she said in amazement. "Of course we're going to fight over who gets to hold her. Look at that little face." She cooed the end of her sentence, reaching out to pinch Adrianna's chubby little baby cheeks.

I snuggled her tightly to my chest, feeling myself relax for the first time since... well, ever. We were free. I smiled down at our daughter in my arms and laughed in relief. "We're finally free!" I said, bouncing Adrianna in my arms.

Adrian smiled, looking like he was about to say something but didn't when someone stepped up into my peripheral vision. To my surprise, it was Stanton. I was almost shocked when she stopped in front of me and Adrian. Sure, she'd agreed with everyone in the meeting and had agreed to stand with our decisions today, but I knew she felt the way the rest of the Alchemists did about what I'd done. She glanced down quickly at the infant in my hands before looking back up to me.

"Good luck, Sydney. I wish you all the best." She stepped back, but her eyes lingered on Adrianna for a moment longer. She glanced at both me and Adrian as she said, "She's a very beautiful baby."

I nodded and Adrian gave her a small smile. Then she was gone. I truly hoped the Alchemists would listen to her. I had my doubts, but somehow, I trusted her to follow through on her promise to us.

My mom practically assaulted us next, wanting to see Adrianna. I handed her over and watched Mom pepper her face with kisses, saying things like, "She's just too cute," and "I can't believe I'm a grandma already!"

Dad stood silently by her side. Even though I could tell he was mad at me and he didn't like Adrian, I saw him smile down at the baby a few times. He didn't try to hold her, but those few small smiles had given me hope for the future. He didn't think Adrianna was some sort of monster spawn, so that was promising.

Once Adrian's mom came over Dad went outside, probably to get away from what he saw as too many Moroi. My mom, however, was more than welcoming. She smiled at Daniella and together the women _oohed_ and _ahhed_ at everything Adrianna did. Daniella even held Adrianna much to Adrian's delight. I knew that he loved his mother very much, but that she could be somewhat cold and standoffish. Seeing her laughing with my mom and smiling adoringly at Adrianna, Adrian's face lit up in a way that warmed my heart.

Nathan Ivashkov kept his distance, not immediately joining his wife to meet his granddaughter. His face was unhelpfully blank, so I couldn't tell what was going through his mind. After a few minutes he came over and started to speak to Adrian, but was almost immediately cut off by his son.

"Dad, before you say anything, there's something I need to tell you," he said. When his father nodded he continued. "I don't care what you think," Adrian said bluntly, causing everyone in the room to stop and stare. Nathan looked taken aback. "I don't care if you think I've ruined the family reputation, I don't care if you think I'm making a mistake, I don't care if you disapprove or want to cut off my trust fund or whatever. It doesn't matter to me." He wrapped an arm abound my shoulders and nodded to our daughter, currently giggling in Daniella's arms. "I have everything I need right here. We don't need your money or approval or respect. We just need the people we love. And I'd really like you to be one of those people, Dad, but it's up to you. I won't have my daughter around someone who's going to treat her like a second class citizen just because she's a dhampir. So you either accept us, or you don't. But you don't get to have it both ways."

Nathan was looking at his son like he was seeing him for the first time. Finally the shock faded into a look of grudging respect and he nodded, finally glancing down at his granddaughter. "She's got my eyes," he said softly, sounding slightly in awe. I could understand that. Adrianna had that effect.

Adrian was still looking at his father, waiting for an actual answer to his unspoken question. Nathan sighed.

"I don't agree with any of this. But I..." He glanced back down at the baby. "I don't want to be cut off from my family either. And I respect the two of you for taking responsibility for your actions instead of just running away. That took a lot of courage."

Adrian looked shocked, but the slight flush on his cheeks was enough for me to recognize the pride he felt at his father's words. I doubted Adrian's father had ever told him he respected anything he'd done before. This was new territory to him.

Rose and Lissa finally made their way over to us once Nathan and Daniella had said their goodbyes. Daniella had to get back to the prison she was being held in for fraud. My mom and sisters all hugged and kissed me and Adrianna goodbye—my mom even hugged Adrian—and then went to find my dad.

"She's beautiful," Lissa said once everyone was gone. She smiled down at Adrianna who was starting to nod off to sleep.

"Thanks," Adrian said with a smirk. "She really looks just like me, doesn't she?"

Rose smacked his arm. "She looks like Sydney," she tried to declare very seriously, but a smirk of her own broke through. "Let's hope she has her personality, too."

"Do you believe that the Alchemists will leave you alone now?" Lissa asked, ignoring the bickering.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I think Stanton was being truthful about not wanting this to go any further than today, but who knows what the other Alchemists will want to do? I do think knowing that a coven full of witches might come after them will keep them back for awhile though."

Rose laughed. "Yeah, that'd keep me away, too. You know, I'd love to see you in action one of these days." She shook her head. "It's sort of hard to believe you're some sort of badass witch. I just don't see you that way."

"Next time we're in a secluded place, you have to ask her to throw fireballs for you. It's so freaking cool," Adrian laughed.

Ms. Terwilliger who'd been hanging out by the back of the conference room, speaking quietly on her phone, finally made her way over to us. "It is pretty cool," she said with a smile toward Adrian, then looked at Lissa and Rose. "We don't really want much exposure, but you're more than welcome to come to a coven meeting if you're ever in California."

Lissa thanked her and Rose looked like she wanted to immediately accept the offer and then plan a day to visit. I smiled a little, thinking about how much Rose would love being surrounded by people like Ms. Terwilliger and her coven—strong women who spoke their minds and, occasionally, broke the rules for the greater good.

"So here she is," Ms. Terwilliger said softly, startling me out of my thoughts. She was smiling down at Adrianna. "Such a beautiful little thing. Looks so much like the two of you. Especially you, Adrian. Those eyes are gorgeous."

Adrian threw Rose a smug smirk and I laughed and thanked Ms. Terwilliger.

"Has she shown signs of being able to use magic?" she asked curiously.

Adrian and I gaped, and I think Rose and Lissa may have too. "She could... She could be a witch?" I asked, shocked.

Ms. Terwilliger shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said. "I've never come across the offspring of a vampire and a witch. I could look into it, ask around, but I'd keep an eye out for signs in the meantime. Around six months human babies start to show signs, though some are known to start sooner."

Adrian shook his head. "Well, that'll be fun," he said sarcastically. "I barely know how to handle her when she cries. What do we do if she starts having some sort of magical tantrums?"

"Oh, you can handle it," Ms. Terwilliger said confidently. "I've never seen you two come across a problem you couldn't solve together."

A small smile stretched across my face as I took in her words. We could handle it. We could handle the Alchemists and whatever they decided, we could handle our families and whatever prejudices the world had against us. We could even handle our daughter possibly being a dhampir/witch hybrid. Because Ms. Terwilliger was right. There wasn't anything Adrian and I couldn't take on together. And we were together now, and we were going to make sure we stayed that way.


	31. Corrupt

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This is a short update but I think it's cute. Let me know what you think!**

"Shit," I muttered, wincing at the pain shooting up from my now bleeding finger. I was helping pack up all of our stuff at Amberwood now that the hereditary laws had finally been passed and our mission was officially over. I'd already finished in my dorm, but Jill and Angeline still had plenty left to pack, even with all the extra help they were receiving.

I looked up to see everyone in the room staring at me with wide eyes. "Sydney, did you just... swear?" Rose teased, though she sounded half serious.

"Sydney's swearing again?" Adrian asked, walking into the room with a few more empty boxes and setting them down on the bed. He shot Rose a grin. "Got a mouth like a sailor that one, I tell you."

I rolled my eyes, but Rose laughed. "You've corrupted her!" she accused. "The Sydney I know would never use such foul language."

Adrian put his hand to his heart in mock offense. "Why do you think I'm the one corrupting her? Maybe she's corrupting me." He plopped down on Angeline's bare dorm bed, feigning exhaustion even though he'd barely done any real work helping pack. "I used to party all night and wake up in the afternoon with a hangover, now I'm meeting with a study group at eight a.m. and going to bed by midnight at the latest. I'm pretty sure that's proof I've been corrupted."

Dimitri looked up from the box he was sealing with masking tape. "I'm pretty sure that's the opposite of corruption. Sydney's use of the word _shit _does, however, fall into corrupt territory."

Adrian gave me a curious look, followed by a smirk. "Why'd you say shit?"

"Cut myself on a box." I stepped closer to him and showed him my injured finger. It didn't look bad, but there was a little blood still leaking trough the cut. Adrian gave me a sympathetic look and took my hand in his. He leaned down to kiss my fingertip and I felt a warm heat surge through my hand. It could have been mistaken for the effect his lips always had on me, but I knew better. He was healing me.

"There you go," he said, giving the newly healed skin a quick kiss. "All better." He pulled me closer and I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning down and kissing his lips again and again, forgetting that we weren't alone here.

"Ugh. Do you guys mind?" Angeline groaned. "I had a big breakfast and I'd really like to keep it down."

Adrian laughed and pulled back, brushing a few strands of hair out of my eyes. I gave him a smile and started to pull away, but he stopped me with a hand on my wrist.

"Don't you have some more stuff to pack up in your room?" he asked innocently.

"I've already..." I started to say that I'd already packed everything and he knew it, but then I noticed the mischievous glint in his green eyes. "...labeled everything so it shouldn't take that long. Want to help me finish?" I amended quickly with what I hoped was an innocent smile.

"Sure thing, Sage." He hopped up looking like he'd recovered from his bout of exhaustion. He grabbed my hand and dragged me out into the hallway and towards my dorm room.

From behind us I heard Jill burst out in giggles to accompany Angeline's dramatic sigh. I couldn't see her anymore, but I could practically hear Rose roll her eyes as she called, "If you're going to corrupt her at least teach her to be a little less obvious about it!"


	32. Reading

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Have you guys checked out The Fiery Heart cover yet? I love it! Especially Sydney's expression. She's looks so irritated. I think it's funny :)**

**So this is a continuation of chapter 12 - Books. I kind of love the idea of Sydney and Adrian having their relationship thrust on them before they're ready for it. It's fun to figure out how they'd react if they'd known from the beginning how they'd feel about each other. So I hope you enjoy this chapter. And let me know what you think!**

Eddie shut the book, his face slightly red from having read... what he'd read. My face was probably bright red too, so I couldn't blame him.

The shock of it all turned my stomach into a fireball. At least that's what I kept telling myself. Because there was no way what I was feeling was excitement. It just couldn't be. It made no logical sense.

But one peek out of the corner of my eye in _his_ direction caused my cheeks to blaze even brighter and the fireball followed suit. How was it possible for a book to have this effect on me? It wasn't like any of it was real, it wasn't happening to me. It was happening to book-Sydney.

Even I scoffed internally at that. By the end of the first book I'd been convinced that the stories these books held were true. Some of it was hard to believe, like the idea that witches existed and I was one of them. I'd been horrified by the idea, but Adrian had looked over and said, "Maybe magic is unnatural, but you used it to save my life. However evil you think it is, you used it to do something good." Then he'd given me a small smile that, for unknown reasons, kick started my heart. "Thank you, even if it didn't really happen. Yet."

But even the idea of magic was nothing compared to the idea of kissing a vampire. Kissing Adrian Ivashkov. The guy I'd spent the past two days sitting next to as we read our future from six books Abe Mazur had "acquired". I had no idea where he'd gotten them and, at this point, I couldn't care less. All that mattered was that they were real and in them I seemed to be falling in love with a vampire.

I tried to hide my blush as Eddie picked up the third book. It was blue and both Adrian and I were on the cover, along with someone I didn't recognize. After reading the end of the second book I figured his name was probably Marcus Finch, an ex-alchemist that book-me was trying to find. That was another crazy thing I'd discovered while reading the books. I hadn't known there were ex-alchemists out there. I didn't know such a thing existed. Already my mind was racing with ways to find Marcus. If these books were real, and I knew they were, than I needed to talk to him.

I shot another discrete glance at Adrian and found him watching me too. I looked away quickly. He was not the reason I needed to find Marcus. The books might be real, but you can't fall in love just by reading about another person. I'd never been in love, but I knew you had to spend time with them, get to know them. Not just read a book based on a future-them that won't exist now anyway.

There was no way any of the events we were reading about would come to pass now that we knew about them. There was no way anyone was going to let Moroi rebels kill Jill and have Adrian bring her back, or let Sonya get kidnapped and almost executed by these so called Warriors of Light. I was grateful for that, but some illogical part of me was a little angry about it. Abe was changing our future by showing us these books. Sure, we might not have to suffer through certain events now, but we weren't becoming the people we were meant to be.

"Do you guys want me to keep reading or do you want a break?" Eddie asked, flipping the blue book open to the first page. He'd become our designated reader because he was the most eloquent at reading aloud. Adrian kept reading ahead to himself when he'd taken a turn. I'd done the same thing, too caught up in what I was reading to focus on speaking the words aloud. Rose made too many comments while reading and Jill stumbled over too many words for the story to flow smoothly. Eddie'd taken the book from her and he'd been reading ever since.

Dimitri checked his watch and stood up. "We haven't had a break in awhile. I'm sure you could use a glass of water or something," he said to Eddie.

Eddie smiled and said he was fine, but stood up and cracked his neck. "I think I'll go for a short walk, stretch my legs a little."

Book-me had noticed it and regular me had too. Eddie didn't like just sitting around. He was a very active person and he moved quickly for the door, jumping on the chance to get out of this cooped up room.

"I'll go with you!" Jill called after him, jumping out of her seat. Her eyes went wide and her pale cheeks flushed with embarrassment when everyone turned to look at her. Eddie let out a string of startled _um_'s and _uh_'s before finally nodding for her to come along.

The awkward display reminded me that I wasn't the only one with a now very public, very forbidden relationship—not that Adrian and I had one of those. He'd just kissed me, once, and I'd pulled away. In a book. It didn't count. But Eddie and Jill, book Eddie and Jill anyway, had both admitted their feelings for one another. I almost laughed just thinking about Eddie's blush when he'd read that part out loud. And now... Now what? They were going to go talk it out? How do you talk about feelings some future version of you has?

"Sydney?"

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Adrian's voice. I looked around and noticed everyone else was filing out of the room. It was just him and me left. He moved closer to me on the couch, but not close enough that he was invading my personal space or anything. Regardless, my heartbeat kicked up a notch. I tried telling myself it was because I was now alone with a vampire, but I couldn't make myself believe it.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, green eyes studying me in a way that was almost tangible. I could feel him trying to see inside my head, find out what I was thinking.

I studied him in return. He'd come a long way from the drunk guy I'd met yesterday. Today he only had a few sips from his flask. I didn't know what was in there, but it didn't get him drunk, or even buzzed. He was staying sober to read the books and I appreciated that. After reading about everything he'd been going through I knew being here must be tough on him. Rose and Dimitri had been respectful during the parts of the books that referenced their relationship, but I could see how it could be embarrassing for Adrian. The thoughts book-Adrian shared with book-me weren't meant to be read aloud, but he was allowing us to read them anyway.

"I'm fine," I finally said with a shrug. "How are you?"

This was all slightly embarrassing since we'd just read about the kiss. Who was I kidding? This was the most awkward conversation ever, but I wanted to talk to him. We needed to talk. We hadn't had a chance to talk about what was happening between us. Book-us, that is.

"I'm alright," he smiled. "This is a lot to take in. I was... Well, I'm worried about you. I know this isn't... From the book I know that you don't exactly like us. And you and me—" He shrugged. "We're close. In the book."

I nodded, biting my lip and refusing to meet his eyes. "It's weird. Freaky. And awkward. It's so awkward to sit here next to all of you, feeling like I know you all better than I do."

"You do know me," he said with a small smile. "Better than anyone." He reconsidered. "Well, I guess everyone here knows me now, but it was meant for you. You're the one who's supposed to know me this way."

I scooted back a little bit on the couch, keeping my gaze on the carpet. "But it's not real. It's not going to happen now. Even if... even if I did feel something for you in the books, it's not going to happen now."

Adrian shook his head and moved away from me, sitting on the very end of the couch, but he turned his whole body to face me. "I don't know about that, Sage. Circumstances might be different, but feelings are feelings. You're certainly handling this a lot better than I'd imagined. More like the Sydney in the book than the Sydney who I met yesterday."

"It's an illusion," I claimed. "It's not real, this feeling. The comfortableness." I picked up the blue book Eddie had discarded before he left. "It's just from being lost in these pages for two days straight. It'll fade and we'll be who we were when we started reading."

Adrian didn't look convinced. "Maybe you will," he said diplomatically. "But I won't be. I'm already different. Do you know what it's like to feel miserable, and then have someone hand you a crystal ball? To see how happy, how not miserable, you could be if you'd just let yourself? That's how I feel. Like someone just gave me the winning lottery numbers and all I have to do is play them."

I blinked at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means I don't want to be miserable anymore." He took the book from me and started flipping through it. "I want this. I want to be like the guy in these books. The guy that could make someone like you proud of him. I know I don't really know you, but I feel like I do. I feel like we've always known each other. I feel like we could have this." He gestured to the book. "I feel like we could be these people if we just spent a little time together. Don't you feel it, Sydney?"

I wasn't sure what to say to him. I had no idea what to think. He wanted... he wanted us to be like in the books. He wanted to be friends. More than friends? He couldn't possibly be serious. It was ridiculous to even consider it. But his expression was so serious, his green eyes so sincere. I thought back to the way everyone kept watching him throughout our reading of the first book. The way they'd given him pitying looks. The way he'd hunched on the couch, pretending he didn't care, ignoring the stares. Then I thought about all the times book-me had refused to pity him. There'd been a moment when I'd glanced over and saw him sitting up taller, looking astonished, but happy, that someone thought he had too much potential to squander the way he did. And he did have potential. I could see it in him now. Not book-Adrian, but real Adrian—the guy sitting across from me on the couch. He really was different than he had been yesterday when we'd started these books.

"I don't know what I feel," I admitted honestly. "It's all really confusing. Like living parallel lives. I don't feel different than I did yesterday, but I also feel like a whole other person."

He nodded, thinking about it. I had to admit, if nothing else, it was really easy to talk to him. "That's how I feel too," he said finally. "Nothing's different, but at the same time everything's changed. I don't really know what we're supposed to do now."

I shrugged, sort of amazed that he was being so serious about this. He wasn't even mentioning anything that had happened in the book. Maybe he felt embarrassed? Or maybe he was trying not to scare me off. I figured it didn't really matter right now. "I think the only thing we can do is finish reading and see what happens. We've got four books left. A lot could happen, a lot could change."

He nodded. "Are you thinking about the Alchemists?" he asked softly.

I sighed. "I'm thinking about a lot of things. But yeah, the Alchemists are part of it. I have to find out about that Marcus guy." I took the book from him, holding it like it was precious. "I never thought the Alchemists would use me like that, but thinking about it, I'm not sure why it never occurred to me. They sort of do it all the time. Even my dad. Especially my dad. I want to know what Marcus knows. I hope it's in here."

Adrian glanced at the open door, looking to see if anyone was back yet. No one was there, so he grabbed the book back from me and flipped it open. "There's one way to find out."

"Adrian!" I complained.

He glanced up at me with a grin. "There it is," he said with a laugh. "It sounds even better hearing you say it for real. Beats hearing Eddie say it."

"Say what?" I asked, confused. "Your name?"

He nodded. "Well, my name like that. That way. Like you're annoyed with something I'm doing."

I surprised the both of us by laughing a little. "You want me to be annoyed with you?" I asked incredulously.

"Not exactly," he smiled. "I just like the way you say it, I guess." He shrugged and returned his attention to the book, leaving me to blush in peace. "Here," he said, pointing to the page he'd flipped to. "You're talking to Marcus here."

I leaned over, scooting closer so I could see. Adrian moved closer too, laying the book across both of our laps.

He laughed. "You're killing him at Skee-Ball, Sage."

I glanced down at the passage he was pointing to. "I've never even played Skee-Ball," I admitted.

That just caused him to laugh harder. "Doesn't seem to matter."

Without even realizing it we both started reading and made it all the way to the next chapter before we stopped. I'd learned a little about Marcus and the Alchemists. Enough to know I needed to read the whole book. Enough to make me feel even more out of sorts because of the Alchemists behavior, according to this guy Marcus, anyway. Really, the only reason we'd stopped reading was because Adrian was laughing too hard.

"You know," I said, a little annoyed. "It's not _that_ funny. It's actually quite tragic. If you appreciated cars the way I do you'd understand."

"No," he gasped between breaths. "It's... It's funny anyway."

I rolled my eyes and watched him as he tried to calm himself.

"What's going on?" Dimitri asked, stepping back into the room. Everyone except for Eddie and Jill followed behind him. "You guys started without us?"

"That's not very nice," Abe said with a smirk, sitting down in a chair across the room from us. I was glad he was keeping his distance. "But it is nice to see you two getting along so well."

I looked down to see how close Adrian and I were sitting. Our legs were touching, from thigh to knee, and I hadn't even noticed until now. I grabbed the book and flipped it closed, setting it on the table before moving to the end of the couch. Away from Adrian.

He took my move in stride, still smiling after his laughing fit. "We skipped ahead a little," he said. "Got to see how much Sydney really likes cars."

Rose gave him a strange look, but smiled. "She does like cars. You know that. From the book. You heard how she was—is?—with the Mustang you bought—will buy?" She shook her head. "This is confusing."

"Yeah but, just wait. You have to see her reaction when some kids slash the Mustang's tires. It is the best thing ever." He chuckled a few times to himself, before stifling the reaction as Eddie and Jill walked in.

They were both smiling, looking a lot less awkward then they had when they left. I wondered what they'd talked about on their walk. Had it been like the talk Adrian and I had just had? I snuck a look in his direction as Eddie sat down and grabbed the book, flipping it open to chapter one. I felt better after the talk we'd had. Less awkward about everything, I guess. Kind of happy, even after he laughed at me—book-me—during the scene with the Mustang. Maybe I was feeling happy _because_ of that, though. I kind of liked that I could make him laugh. I didn't usually have that effect on people, so it was nice to know someone thought I was funny. Plus, seeing Adrian smile just put me in a good mood for some reason. He was still smiling as Eddie began reading and, even with all of this uncertainty floating around inside of me, I kind of wanted to smile too.

It was wrong—at least by Alchemist standards, obviously—but I hardly cared. Eddie dove back into the story of future me, but my mind kept replaying Adrian's laughter, the feel of his leg pressed against mine. I told myself I'd wait until we reached the end of the books before I worried about how wrong it was to think those things had been nice. I'd wait until I had all of the facts to decide what right and wrong even meant anymore.


	33. Jealousy

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**I'm currently working on a few different ideas you guys have suggested. So hopefully I'll have some of those up soon. This is an idea I've had since before I even started this fic, but just managed to work it out in my head. Review and let me know what you think :)**

"Is this going to be our thing from now on?" I asked as I finished off my coffee.

"What?" Adrian said, leaning back in the booth. "Me taking you to art museums and being all romantic?"

I grinned. We were grabbing a coffee and then Adrian had promised to take me to a museum here at Court. We'd had to wait until late afternoon for it to open, but I was excited to see what sorts of exhibits they had on display. "Yeah. That's it exactly," I smiled up at him.

He leaned forward a little, lowering his voice as to not attract any attention from the other patrons in the coffee shop. "I'm planning on taking you to much more romantic places, Sydney. But since we're here, and I know how much you love looking at old art—"

"Old art?" I laughed. "This coming from the artist."

"Hey!" Adrian defended. "I like the old stuff as much as the next guy, but I'm more into contemporary."

I thought back to the painting he'd finished just before we'd flown out to Pennsylvania for Lissa and Christian's wedding this weekend. It was a picture of a very odd looking creature with a horse's head and what looked like a tiger's body. I wasn't sure that could be considered contemporary art, but I wasn't going to mention it.

"Anyway," Adrian continued with a smile, "since we don't have to be at the church until midnight I was thinking we could check out the exhibits for awhile and then maybe head back to the hotel." His smile turned mischievous and he raised his eyebrows playfully. "We do have that awesome jacuzzi tub in the room. Can't let that go to waste, can we?"

I had been wanting to use that tub since we checked in last night, but it had been late and we were both jet-lagged from the flight. We'd fallen right to sleep. The thought of that tub and all the things we could do in it was almost enough for me to suggest skipping the museum all together, but I didn't. There'd be plenty of time for that later and I really was interested in the museum.

"I take your silence as agreement to that plan," Adrian smirked. Then he grabbed my coffee mug and stood up. "I know you want another cup," he said. "You want anything to go with it? The pastries they have behind the counter look pretty good."

"Just the coffee," I smiled as Adrian headed up to the counter. That smile quickly faded when a pretty Moroi girl came out of nowhere and grabbed his arm, spinning him around. His smile faded too when he recognized her, and he very obviously recognized her.

"Adrian!" she said, smiling widely. "Oh my god, where have you been? You were gone for, like, ever. Do you know how much I've missed you?"

I watched them, feeling an uncomfortable urge to get up and drag him away from her. He looked a little stunned, but quickly recovered himself. "Hey... Jeanette," he said uncertainly and my heart started beating again. He didn't remember her name and for some reason that made me feel better. "How have you been?" he asked, but turned and got back online.

They weren't standing close by, but I could hear them clearly in the quiet cafe. The girl, Jeanette, wasn't being very subtle. She placed her hand on his arm and flicked her long brown hair back.

"I'm better now that you're here," she simpered. "Hey! One of my friends is throwing a party tonight. You should totally come." She stepped closer, her hand skimming up his arm and onto his shoulder. "A party's not a party with Adrian Ivashkov."

He had the wisdom to pull away from her at that moment. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't, but I suspected it would have shocked everyone in the cafe. I could almost taste the magic building up in me, ready to be unleashed. I tamped it down, feeling guilty for wanting to hurt someone just because she was flirting with my boyfriend. It wasn't like she knew he had a girlfriend. Our friends knew about our relationship, but the Moroi world did not. We weren't hiding our relationship exactly, but living in California decreased our chances of encountering Moroi. Especially Moroi who lived at Court and would spread the news. That left very few people who knew Adrian and I were together. And no reason why this girl would know she was doing anything wrong.

"Actually," Adrian said slowly, paying for the coffee he'd just ordered. "I'm not really into any of that anymore. Partying and stuff, I mean. Thanks for the invite though." He smiled politely at her and grabbed my coffee, starting to walk back over to our table. Our eyes met and he smiled sheepishly at me, unsure of how I'd react to this little encounter. I smiled at him reassuringly.

Then Jeanette grabbed his arm again, causing him to almost spill my coffee. Alright, now I was really starting to get annoyed with this girl. He'd just clearly said no, what more did she want?

"Adrian Ivashkov isn't into partying anymore?" she asked in disbelief, adding a fake pout for effect. When he didn't immediately say he was joking she switched tactics. "Well," she said coyly, her hands tangling in the front of his shirt. "We could always skip the party. Do what we did the last time we were together..."

Her invitation dangled in the air between them for a few moments. Just long enough for me to feel the magic rise up again. This time I didn't stop it.

"Uh... I'm actually seeing—" Adrian stammered, but it was too late. Jeanette leapt away from him with a startled cry and I tried my hardest not to smirk.

"What was that?" she demanded of no one in particular. "Something... something just shocked me. Ow!" She retreated even farther away as I flicked my wrist in her direction underneath the table for a second time. It was a small spell, one that just gave it's target a little shock. Nothing that would leave any permanent damage, but it would certainly hurt enough that she would be distracted from her flirting with Adrian.

At first Adrian looked confused as to why the girl was jumping around like an idiot, but by the time she was twitching and running from the cafe, he'd figured it out. He threw me a sharp look, but smiled and shook his head as he sat back down and placed my coffee in front of me.

"You did that?" he asked, but he sounded certain. His voice and eyes turned gentle. "Watching another girl flirt with me upset you that much?"

"That wasn't flirting," I scoffed. "That was an open invitation. But no. That's not why I did it," I lied.

Adrian smirked at me, knowing I was lying but letting me have it anyway. "Oh, of course. So why did you do it then?" he asked, sounding genuinely amused.

"Because," I said, lifting my cup to my lips. "My coffee was getting cold."

Adrian laughed and leaned over the table to kiss me. Even though we were in public. Even though everyone here was still watching him after the scene I'd caused with Jeanette. And I kissed him back, not caring who saw. Let them gossip if they wanted.

When he finally pulled back, Adrian gestured to my cup. "Better drink it quick before it gets cold. I'd hate for you to cast a spell on me for getting in between you and your coffee." I refused to dignify that with a response. "Besides," he went on. "We have to hurry if we're going to hit the museum and still make our appointment."

"What appointment?" I asked, confused.

"The appointment with the jacuzzi tub," Adrian said with a wink.

I nearly rolled my eyes at his smug expression, but did finish my coffee quickly. I claimed it was because I was eager to get to the museum, but we both knew better.


	34. Phone Call

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Ive had writers block like crazy recently, but this little scene popped into my head tonight and I kind of love it. Review and let me know what you think!**

"You know," Adrian said, his voice distant through the phone. I wished for the millionth time tonight that he was here with me, or I was there with him. Or, you know, that I could see him without having to pretend to be scared of him.

Things were so different now that Zoe was at Amberwood. Now that she was an Alchemist. It took everything in me not to cringe every time I saw that lily glittering on her cheek. I hated it. I hated what it meant. I hated that my sister was brainwashed into following a group that did nothing but lie and use her. I hated that that same group had controlled me for so long. That it still controlled me. And right at this moment, I hated that it was keeping me from the one person I wanted to be with.

"This will all be different someday," Adrian went on. "One day we'll be old and gray and see each other every morning when we wake up and every night when we fall asleep. You'll be so sick of seeing me you'll long for these days."

He laughed and I laughed with him, but it was a little forced. On both sides.

"I just miss you," I said quietly. "I never realized how much time we spent together until we couldn't spend any together."

I heard him sigh and then he dropped something. Or it sounded like he did. "Shit."

"What happened?" I asked, smiling a little to myself.

"Nothing," he said quickly. Too quickly.

I laughed, and this time it wasn't forced. "You dropped your paint brush, didn't you?" I said. "Did you get paint everywhere? I told you to put plastic down—"

"Yeah, I know. I know." He chuckled a little, but I could hear him trying to clean something up while juggling the phone. "I just got a little red on the carpet. It's fine."

Something terrible popped into my mind and I snorted before I could restrain myself.

"What?" he asked. "Don't laugh at me, Sage. Or else I'll start calling you sugar plum again."

"I wasn't laughing at you," I admitted. "I just thought of something, something that shouldn't have made me laugh. I thought about what Zoe's reaction would be if she ever saw a red stain on your carpet. She'd freak out thinking it was blood. It's terrible but... It was kind of funny." I shook my head. "I'm a terrible sister."

"You're not," Adrian said gently. "You're a great sister. And you're right. She'd be upset if she saw the stain. I'll clean it up before you bring her over tomorrow."

"Adrian," I said softly.

"Yeah, Sydney?"

"I'm scared," I whispered. "I'm scared for Zoe. I'm scared for myself. I'm terrified she'll find out the truth and hate me. I can't do this anymore. I can't keep lying to everyone. I can't handle it."

"Yes. You can," he said fiercely. "You can handle this. _We_ can handle this."

"How? How can we when we're not even allowed to see each other?"

"Just picture yourself next to me," he said. "Picture me with thick gray hair—because my hair will always be awesome—and all wrinkly and old—but still attractive. Picture us spoiling our grandkids and watching afternoon court shows. Eating dinner at four o'clock in the afternoon. It'll be great."

I smiled. "It will be. Although, don't you think we're a little young to be planning how we'll spend our evenings when we're sixty?"

"Never to early to plan ahead, Sydney. I would have thought you of all people would agree with that."

"Actually," I laughed, "I've been trying to takes things one day at a time recently. I met this guy and his bad habits must be rubbing off on me."

"I know what else he'd like to rub on you," he teased.

"Adrian!" I screeched, mortified, but I was laughing a little.

"I'm kidding, Sage. Well, sort of." He paused and I imagined him shrugging, a wicked smirk on his face. "I really do miss you. Are you sure we can't get together in a spirit dream tonight?"

"I thought you said I wasn't losing my virginity in a dream?" I teased.

"We can do other things without the clothes coming off. So?" he said. "What do you say? You want to see me as much as I want to see you?"

"Of course, I do." I fiddled with the edge of my comforter. We were having this conversation more and more often as the weeks passed. I knew it was only a matter of time before he brought it up again. "But not at the expense of your health. We'll see each other. Sometime soon. But not tonight, okay? I promise. I'll find a reason to see you."

"I know. It's okay," he said. "I'll wait as long as you need. I love you."

My heart skipped a beat, the way it always did when he said he loved me. Then it skipped again as I heard a key in the lock of my door. "I have to go, Adrian. Zoe's back. I'll see you soon." I paused, knowing Zoe would have the door open at any moment, but I couldn't say goodbye without telling him, "I love you."

Adrian sighed just as my door opened and Zoe walked in, a pile of books in her hands. "I love you, Sydney. I'll see you tomorrow when you drop the gang off."

"Okay, sounds good," I said. My voice had taken on a business-like quality that I found myself hating. I sounded so... phony. "We'll stop by tomorrow afternoon then."

"Okay," he laughed. He always found this fake voice amusing. "Bye, Sydney."

"Goodbye," I said, softening my tone a little, hoping it wasn't enough to make Zoe suspicious. I hung up the phone and placed it on my bedside table, before turning to Zoe.

"Who was that?" she asked, placing her books on her bed.

"Adrian," I said honestly. It felt like a rare occasion these days when I could actually be honest with her about something. "We're taking Jill to his apartment tomorrow afternoon. We were confirming." That wasn't entirely a lie, I told myself.

Zoe nodded, but looked visibly upset by the news. "Will we have to stay for the visit?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent. I had to respect her attempting to appeared unaffected.

"I'm not sure," I said. "We'll have to see what the plan is tomorrow."

She nodded again. "Okay." Then she turned back to her books and began sorting through her homework. She always did this. Sorted through her work and then completed it by order of importance. It always annoyed me when she would finish her reports for the Alchemists before even glancing at her school work.

"Well," I said slowly. "I have a lot of homework today. What do you say we study together?"

Zoe nodded. "Okay. I just have to send Stanton my report for this week and then we can head down to the library."

I sighed internally. Externally I smiled and stood up. "Sounds good. I'll meet you down there, okay?"

She nodded, already switching on her laptop and getting into her report. I walked outside, closing the door behind me.

_Picture Adrian with gray hair and wrinkly skin_, I told myself over and over again as I walked to the library. Surprisingly, by the time I made it there I was smiling and I felt a little less weighed down by everything. There might be a thousand things separating us right now, but it would pass. And until then, well, we always had our daily phone calls.


	35. College

**Richelle Mead own the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**I have such bad writers block at the moment, you guys, but I'm trying to push through it. Hope this one doesn't suck! Review and let me know what you think :)**

"This would all be a lot easier," Adrian said, lugging a box into the small dorm room and dropping it on the empty desk on the left side, "if you would just move in with me."

We were currently moving all of my belongings into the girl's dorms at Carlton, the local college where Adrian had been taking art classes for the past year. I was so excited to finally be getting the chance to go to college. It had taken a lot to separate myself from the Alchemists, but now that it was over, I was so glad I'd done it. Now I had college and a relationship with Adrian. One we didn't have to hide from the world. He'd even decided to become a full time student along with me and sign up for academic classes as well as his art classes.

Adrian walked over, taking the box I was carrying out of my hands and placing it on my new bed, before pressing his lips to mine. "We could be together all of the time if you lived with me."

"We'll still be together most of the time. We're even taking English together," I murmured against his lips. "We'll sit together and pass notes and not pay any attention to the class at all."

He chuckled, pulling back and cupping my face in his palms. "Listen to you," he smiled. "Trying to corrupt a decent student like me. The point of taking a class is to pay attention and learn from it, isn't it?"

I leaned forward, bumping my nose to his. "I speak seven languages. I think I've got English." I reached to kiss him again, but he playfully held me in place.

"But what about me?" He smiled. "I'm not as academically inclined as you are."

"I'll tutor you," I breathed, pulling forward to try to kiss him again. This time he didn't fight me. He... well it was the opposite of fighting, really. He leaned into me, pushing me down onto my bed. I was reminded of being on the table with him in the spirit dream that first time I'd given into my feelings for him. Except my dorm bed was a lot more comfortable than sitting on silverware had been. Although, being with Adrian had made even that seem perfect. I was wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him tighter to me, when I heard a gasp from the doorway. Adrian and I jumped away from each other quickly, however reluctantly, and turned toward the door.

A small girl with wide eyes and flushed cheeks stood there, eyes averted. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't know anyone was in here. You must be Sydney. You weren't here when I left before."

For the first time since entering the room I gave the right half a good look. Everything was neatly unpacked and put together. I should have realized the person who'd done all of that unpacking would be close by. My cheeks burned in embarrassment. _Great first impression to make on the roommate, Sydney._

"I'm sorry." I jumped down from the bed and stepped around Adrian. "We got carried away. I'm Sydney," I said, holding a hand out to her. "You must be April. This is Adrian."

April shook my hand and then Adrian's. "It's nice to meet you. Do you go here?" she asked Adrian.

"Yeah," Adrian smiled back. "Art student. Majoring in finger painting."

The smile she flashed him was genuine, if a little awed. "Do they have that?"

He laughed. "No, I'm kidding. I am an art student here though." He bumped his shoulder into mine. "Sydney's thinking of double majoring in art history and architecture."

"Wow," April said, looking impressed. "I don't even know what I want to single major in and you already have two picked out."

"Don't let her intimidate you," Adrian said, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "She's weird that way. Knowing exactly what she wants and going for it. This is my second attempt at college and I'm just now figuring everything out."

"I've only been dreaming about this moment my whole life," I murmured low enough April couldn't hear.

Adrian, taking on a chipper tone, smiled at me. "Well, I guess I'll leave you two to talk. You want me to pick you up for dinner? We could watch a movie at my place?" He walked away from me, heading toward the door.

"Sure, but I told you, I'm not staying over."

He sighed, exasperatedly. "Fine. But Hopper's going to miss his mother."

I scoffed. "Hopper likes you better anyway. You let him sleep in bed with you. He hates his aquarium now, you know."

Adrian threw me a devil-may-care grin over his shoulder. "I'd hate it too if the other option was sleeping with you." Then he was gone, leaving me blushing from head to toe.

An awkward silence fell over the room for a couple of minutes before April said, "So, um, is that your boyfriend?"

I smiled and went back to unpacking the boxes Adrian had put on my desk. "Yeah. He can be a lot to handle sometimes, but he's useful on occasion. Like today, for instance." I gestured to all of the boxes on my side of the room. "He helped me move in."

April leaned her hip against her high-rise bed and smirked. "I bet he's useful for a lot more than carrying boxes."

I laughed. "Watch yourself if you're going to say that about him. His ego's bigger than all of the Greek gods combined."

"He looks like them too," she laughed. "Can I ask you something?" she said, coming over to help me unpack. "Do all the guys in the art department look like that? Because if so, I'm thinking of signing up to be a nude model."

I laughed and just enjoyed spending time with my new roommate. I unpacked all of my things and then had dinner with Adrian, and when I skulked into the room early the next morning wearing last night's clothes, April didn't say a word. But she did send me one knowing smile right before we left for our first day of classes that made my cheeks burn from embarrassment. Honestly, though, me sneaking into my room after spending the night with my boyfriend at his apartment was such a normal college problem that I couldn't help but smile to myself.

I was in college and I had a roommate and a boyfriend and got to choose the classes I was taking! My life was finally starting to resemble the dreams I'd always had for my future, but never dared to believe in. Not until I met Adrian. I made a mental note to find a way to thank him the next time I saw him.


	36. Red Bikini

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Finally, I'm posting again! I feel like it's been forever. I have so many of these little one shots half written but just can't seem to figure out how to finish them. Writer's block sucks! Big time. Anyway, hope you like this one. I think someone suggested othe idea, but forgot to write down who, so whoever it was thanks for the prompt! You guys are all awesome and if you have any ideas feel free to send them in :)**

"Adrian," she said softly, staring out at the massive body of water in front of us. "This is amazing!"

We'd been dating for a few weeks now but we'd barely had a chance to spend any time together in real life. Today's rendezvous was no exception. But I'd switched up the location of our dream date from my apartment to the beach we'd visited in Malibu. I knew Sydney loved the sun and ocean, so since we couldn't hang out in real life I figured she should at least enjoy her surroundings in the dream.

I took in her T-shirt and jeans with a raised an eyebrow. "And that's how you enjoy all this amazingness? We're at the beach, Sydney," I said with a gesture to my swim trunks and bare torso. "Act like it."

She glanced down at her appearance, considering her outfit and then her clothes started to shimmer away. One minute she was standing there in jeans and a T-shirt, and the next she was...

I swallowed hard, and tried not to stare too much. It wasn't working though and she laughed at me.

"Like what you see?" she asked, her warm brown eyes filled with amusement.

"That's not fair, Sage," I declared. She'd thought herself out of her jeans and into a red bikini. A skimpy red bikini. A skimpy red bikini that was severely messing with my already very fragile grip on my desire. "Where did you even come up with that thing?"

"Jill was looking through a fashion magazine the other day. I remembered this one and thought you might appreciate it. I know how much you like me in red." She smiled coyly and shrugged her shoulders. The motion drew my attention back to her chest and I heard her laugh again. "Come on," she said. "You're the one who wanted to go to the beach. What are we going to do here? You know, besides you gawking at me."

I made a face and looked back at her face. She was grinning from ear to ear and I smiled back. "We're going in the water."

She glanced down at the waves crashing against the sand uncertainly, but I was already moving closer. I grabbed her by the waist, hoisted her up over my shoulder and took off for the water. She laughed and when it came out breathy and staggered from the bouncing motion of my steps something in me went primal. We dropped down into the water and then we were kissing.

My hands were everywhere. Tangled in her hair, running down her back, grazing her ribs. We were waist deep in the water, or I was. She was almost up to her chest and suddenly she pulled away from me, sinking down further until she was up to her chin. She took a few short strokes away from me, her eyes daring me to come after her, deeper into the water.

I didn't even hesitate. I launched myself through the water, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her up against me as her ankles locked around my hips. I kissed her neck roughly and she gasped. She loved it when I kissed her like that. She complained if I ever left a mark on her, but this was a dream so she just tipped her head back and enjoyed it. My hands started their explorations again, skimming her chest. She sighed and I pushed a little further, fingering the red bikini ties at her back. She pulled my mouth up to hers, pushing her chest into mine. I took that as assent and slowly—oh so painfully slowly—released the bow that held her bikini top together. I reached up and quickly undid the the second bow at the back of her neck and the red material fell between us before floating off with the waves.

I made a low groaning sound at the feel of her skin pressed against my bare chest. She found it funny and decided to tease me by pulling away. Before I even had the chance to look at her she was in the water again, chin deep much to my disappointment.

"Sydney, are you trying to kill me?" I asked seriously. All I wanted was to pull her back to me but she was paddling further away, a dangerous smile on her face.

"Let's race," she said, still moving away from me toward the shore. "First one to my bikini top gets to keep it." She gestured with her chin toward the floating red material. She grinned and took off toward it.

For the second time I launched myself through the water, desperate to get to that damned bikini before she did. I could cheat and use dream magic to get to it first, but I liked this game she was playing. Sydney came off very reserved, even cold, but she wasn't. This was Sydney, _my_ Sydney. The one only I got to see. The one who just beat me to the bikini. _Dammit_!

"You cheated," I accused. "You didn't tell me what you were doing until you were sure I couldn't get there first." I figured she'd planned that so she could put the top back on before we could go any further.

"It's not my fault you're so slow," she laughed, settling down on the beach, the waves crashing around her bare legs. Until that moment her back had been to me, but now... She didn't put the bikini back on. She didn't even attempt it. She did wave it at me in victory, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her body.

After a moment I recollected myself and sat down beside her. I couldn't help but touch her, my arms going around her waist and lowering her down onto the sand. Then we were kissing again, really kissing. The kind of kissing where if I didn't stop myself this dream was going to go further than I wanted it to. But she was tugging on my hands, guiding them up to where she wanted them to touch her. I rolled on top of her, pinning her to the beach.

"We have to stop," I murmured against her lips.

"Don't," she whispered breathlessly. "It's okay. I want—"

"I don't, Sydney," I reached up to stroke her cheek as her eyes bore into mine. "I don't want this to happen in a dream. I want you in my bed with me, I want to wake up next to you in the morning. Not alone, wondering if you regret it."

She glanced down at herself and sighed, the red bikini back in place now. I would have liked to watch her put it back on—or better yet helped her—but I figured thinking it back on with magic was probably the safest bet.

"I'd never regret it, you know." She sat up and leaned her head on my shoulder, looking off into the distance at the sun setting over the water. "But I'd like to really be with you, too. Go to sleep with you and wake up with you." She shook her head in frustration. "I just don't know when that'll be possible."

"I know." I smoothed her wet and tangled hair with my fingers. "I'm not in a rush though. I'll wait as long as it takes, but I want to do this right." I kissed her cheek. "I want it to be perfect."

"I think losing my virginity on a secluded beach as the water rushed up around us would have been pretty perfect," she grumbled. Her lips were pulled together in the adorable pout she wore whenever she didn't get her way. I leaned down and kissed it away.

She sighed and snuggled into me, pushing me down beside her in the sand. "I guess this is pretty perfect anyway," she said, looking up at the sky while the cool water lapped gently around our ankles.

"Anytime I'm with you it's pretty perfect," I said, pulling her closer to me and closing my eyes. One day we'd have our perfect moment but for now it was enough to just be here with her. Even if _here_ was only in our dreams.


	37. Coat

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This idea came to me this afternoon and I just had to write it down. Hope you like it. I'm on the fence about the ending, but I think it's cute.**

"Sydney," Julia said, pushing passed me and into my room. Kristin shrugged sheepishly, but walked in behind her. "I need your help."

I sighed and closed the door. "With what?" I asked, resigned.

Zoe turned around at her desk, momentarily forgetting about the homework she'd been doing a minute ago. She politely said hello to our guests, but Julia was too busy wrenching open my closet door to notice.

"You know that guy I've been seeing? Jason?" She pulled a cream cardigan off a hanger and flung it over her shoulder onto my bed.

"The Jason you met two weeks ago at Pilates? I think I remember you mentioning him once or twice." I said with a small smirk. She'd talked about him almost non-stop for the past two weeks. Kristen giggled a little but quickly stifled it when Julia swung her head around with a wicked glare in her direction.

"He invited me to his parents house for dinner tonight. _Dinner_! With his _parents_! And I have nothing appropriate to wear!"

"Ah," I said, putting it all together. "So you're borrowing my clothes in order to make a good impression."

She paused her ransacking of my closet for a moment to smile at me. "Hope you don't mind," she said, then dove back into my clothes for a moment before surfacing with an, "Aha!"

She held up a tweed sleeveless dress that would have been extremely appropriate for a business meeting. I was about to point out that she might be overdoing it a little, but thought better of it. This was Julia we were talking about. She overdid just about everything while still managing to look casual doing it.

"This will look perfect with those strappy heels I was showing you, Kristen," she said and was about to close the closet door when something caught her eye. "What's this?" she asked, handing me the dress and reaching back in to grab whatever it was she saw.

My breath caught and all of the blood in my body rushed into my cheeks at the sight of the coat she pulled out. A long men's wool dress coat. Adrian's coat. The coat he'd insisted I keep after Sonya's wedding.

Zoe got up out of her chair to get a better look at the coat and Kristen was already by Julia's side, inspecting the material.

"This is a men's coat," she said with a glance in my direction. My expression must have said it all because Julia suddenly turned triumphant.

"Does this belong to the guy you were sneaking out to go see?" she asked. She'd been trying to get information out of me about what I'd done the night I snuck out of her dorm room window. She'd asked who I'd gone to see, what we'd done. I'd shaken my head with a small smile, hoping she'd drop the interrogation. And she had for a while, but now, with this new evidence brought to life, I knew the questions were only just beginning. And not only from Julia it turned out.

"You snuck out to see a guy?" Zoe asked incredulously. But, to my relief, she didn't seem upset by the news, more curious and awed then anything else. It relaxed me a little and I decided I'd play along with the interrogation. It would only make her more suspicious if I avoided answering.

"Yeah, I snuck out. But only once," I added quickly. "And it was important."

"What could be more important than a little late night make out session?" Julia smirked.

"Is he cute?" Zoe asked suddenly. I turned to look at her and noticed how red her cheeks had gone. I guess she hadn't meant to blurt that out like that.

I laughed a little, picturing Adrian. "Extremely."

Zoe smiled at me, still looking a little embarrassed and more than a little intrigued. I realized suddenly that she'd probably never had a boyfriend, or even any real friends her own age, spending most of her free time with our dad and the other Alchemists. I felt strangely sorry for her, even though I'd experienced the same thing at her age. She was only fifteen. She should be the one trying to sneak off for secret make out sessions with boys. Or, well, maybe not, but she should at least be more worried about dating and kissing and stuff. She deserved that opportunity.

"Well, he's got good taste," Julia said, breaking me out of my thoughts and handing Adrian's coat to Kristin.

"And he doesn't have any money problems, that's for sure," Kristin added, examining the label. "This coat is _expensive_."

"So he's hot, rich and has excellent taste in clothes _and_ women. So why aren't you seeing him anymore? And if you're really done with him can you introduce me?"

I laughed. "Who said I wasn't seeing him anymore?"

Zoe's jaw hit the floor. "You're dating someone? But I... I mean, you haven't been out..."

I shrugged nonchalantly and picked up all of the clothing Julia had flung onto my bed. "We decided to take things slow," I said and then grimaced as I noticed my cashmere sweater crumpled in a ball on the floor by my headboard. "I have a lot going on right now and don't have time to be distracted. But I'm not done with him. I still like him. A lot."

I hung all of the clothes back in their proper places and finally turned to look at Zoe. She nodded solemnly, clearly understanding and accepting my lie. Or was it the truth? It seemed like a little of both. Adrian and I _were_ taking things slow ever since Zoe showed up. I did have a lot going on right now and so did he, but we weren't going to break up because of it.

"That's lame," Julia put in as she grabbed my tweed dress and headed into the corridor. "Being busy is no excuse for putting your love life on hold." Then she smiled and waved the dress at me. "Thanks for the dress," she said happily and walked out the door.

Kristen laughed and followed her out. "Bye, Sydney. Zoe."

Once the door closed, Zoe turned to face me, an uncertain expression on her face.

"What is it?" I asked gently, not wanting to rush her.

"It's just..." She shook her head. "I didn't know that you were, you know, dating."

"I really haven't been, not since you arrived," I lied—a little bit, anyway. "I didn't think it was relevant."

"But it is!" she exclaimed. "I mean, I know you have some school friends." She gestured toward the door Kristen and Julia just exited. "But I didn't know we could... I mean..." She trailed off, the pink rushing to her cheeks again.

I sat down on her bed and gestured for her to sit next to me. "We're allowed to have personal lives," I said gently. "Alchemists can date. We just can't let it interfere with our jobs."

She nodded, biting her lip. "So it would be okay if I..." She laughed at her own nervousness. "It would be okay if I went out with this guy Jake in my Math class? He asked me out yesterday and I sort of wanted to go, but..."

I grinned at her. "Of course it would be okay. In fact," I put an arm around her shoulder, giving her a playful squeeze. "Since there are two of us here, maybe we could cover for each other while we're... off duty?"

I was taking a real chance with this, but I saw an opportunity and I was going to take it. If confiding in Zoe would get her off my back a bit and free up some time for me to see Adrian, I was willing to risk her knowing a little too much. It wasn't like she knew I was dating Adrian, after all. She would never even expect something like that. And this arrangement would benefit her as well.

Zoe threw her arms around me, pulling me into a hug. "Oh, thank you, Sydney! That would be great! That way our personal lives will never interfere with our duties. It's perfect!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm, feeling my own rising up inside my chest. I was going to get to see Adrian. In person! And I'd made my sister happy in the process. "It will be perfect," I said. "I'm glad we talked about this."

"Me, too," she smiled. "I'm gonna go find Jake and tell him I can go out with him after all!"

She rushed out of the dorm before I could say another word. Once she was gone I stood, walking over to my desk and picking up my cellphone. I dialed the number and held the phone to my ear. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, Pumpkin Pie," Adrian greeted.

I wrinkled my nose in distaste. "Pumpkin Pie?" I said. "Since when is pumpkin pie romantic?"

"All pie is romantic," he said as if that argument made any sort of sense. Besides, it's healthier than Cream-puff," he went on, sounding undisturbed by my rejection of yet another of his pet names. "What did you need?" he asked. "I mean, besides me."

I laughed at that. He'd meant it as a joke, but he didn't know how dead on he was. All I needed was him. And, for the first time in weeks, I was finally going to get a chance to be with him in person.

"I have some good news," I began, grinning into the phone.


	38. Secret

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

Running into Adrian again after all these years wasn't something I'd planned on. It wasn't even something I'd wanted. Not that I didn't miss his smile or his laugh or the way he'd always tease me, trying to coax a smile out of me. I missed all of those things and more. I missed everything about him. Some days I'd dream about him and when I'd wake up—alone in my bed, knowing I'd never see him again—it was like a physical blow to the gut. But seeing him again had never been part of the plan. Some part of me had known that when I'd left. So seeing him now, knowing he was staying just a few rooms down from me was the most tortuous pleasure I'd ever imagined.

When I'd come to California I'd been expecting to spend the weekend working and then to fly back home without much fuss. The Alchemists wanted me to file some paperwork in the Los Angeles office and I'd reluctantly agreed. I still couldn't figure out why they wanted to send me out here. I had responsibilities at home and they knew it. But Stanton made a big deal about me doing my duty and I'd given in—what choice did I have, really?—agreeing to fly out for the weekend before flying back Sunday evening.

The trip had been uneventful up until I walked into the lobby of the hotel I'd booked. There were Alchemist lodgings available to me, of course, but I couldn't bring myself to stay in them. I had never regained faith in the Alchemists after the events of Palm Springs six years ago, but I couldn't stand against them. Not when there was so much at stake.

Everything I'd worked so hard for the last six years, everything I'd tried to bury away, it had all burst when I'd walked into the lobby of the hotel and found myself face to face with Adrian Ivashkov. Well, sort of, anyway. It wasn't really Adrian standing in front of me, it was actually a larger than life poster set up near the entryway.

_Breakout artist Adrian Ivashkov's exclusive gallery showing. This weekend only._

I'd gasped and stumbled into the bellboy carrying my suitcase.

How could this happen? How, out of all the weekends, of all the hotels, could Adrian be in this one this weekend? The same weekend I was staying here?

I'd thought about canceling my reservation and going to a different hotel. That would have been the smart thing to do. But, of course, I never could fight my curiosity. I'd checked into my room, casually grilling the concierge for information about Adrian.

_I just love that artist's work. When will he be here? Oh, this weekend, really? He's staying in the hotel? Until Monday. I'll have to check out his exhibition. Is there any chance I could run into him during my stay? I'd love to meet him. We're staying on the same floor? Oh, that's something._

It had taken a little... _persuasion_ to get some of the details out of him, but when he thought about it later he'd just think he'd gotten a little too chatty with one of the guests. He'd never remember the dazed feeling he'd had when my magic rushed through him, lowering his inhibitions and making my desires his desires. He'd never remember the twenty five year old woman dressed in business attire who stared him a little too directly in the eye or the way she'd practically floated away from the concierge desk, a mix of emotions raging within her. Fear, shock, panic, curiosity and pride. He'd never remember the exhilarated elation that had crossed her face when the magic flowed through her for the first time in years. I might not have practiced magic in awhile, but I still knew the rules. And when it came to compulsion, Adrian had taught me the rules very clearly. Give them a valid reason for doing what you want them to do._ Compulsion always works better when there's a little truth to it._

So now I was sitting in my room, after a day spent getting most of my work done at the L.A. Alchemist headquarters, trying to talk myself out of going down to Adrian's exhibition. I'd picked up a dress on my way back to the hotel—just in case I wanted to have dinner at the five star restaurant located in the hotel's lobby, I'd told myself. I didn't believe me for one second. It didn't help that the dress I'd picked out was red, a color I rarely ever wore, but one that Adrian used to love on me.

I smoothed my hands over the silk dress and stood, taking one last look in the mirror and then walking out the door before I could talk myself out of it. The truth was, as bad a decision as I knew this was, I couldn't be this close to Adrian and not see him. It was like a physical pain to know he was so close and not be with him. It took a few, nauseating minutes to get from my room to the lobby—the whole time spent trying to figure out how to approach him. I knew it wouldn't be easy. I knew this was going to be one of the most difficult, painful things I'd ever done in my life, but I couldn't seem to help myself. I'd gotten the idea of him in my head and it wouldn't get out.

I strolled through the lobby and into the banquet hall that was serving as a gallery this weekend, trying to look casual. Like I belonged here, with these people. No one stopped me and, as I entered the exhibition, my eyes scanned the room quickly and without my permission, looking for the artist. When I didn't immediately spot him I decided to do a lap, check out some of his paintings.

Almost an hour later I was still making my way around the room. It was slow going because at every painting I had to stop for a few minutes to get the full effect. Adrian's paintings had always been good, but these weren't merely good. These paintings deserved their own gallery, which, I realized, is probably why he'd been given this opportunity. And the turn out was unbelievable. So many people crowded into the medium sized banquet hall, crowded around each and every one of his paintings. An intense pride shot through me as I glanced at all of the people admiring Adrian's art.

"This one is my personal favorite," a familiar voice carried over the din of the crowd.

"The expression on the subject's face is lovely," a woman said.

"It's her eyes," said another. "They're radiant. You can almost feel the passion she must have felt."

I stumbled through the crowd, almost against my will, trying to locate the voices. It took a minute, but I finally found them three paintings down from me, studying a painting of a girl. Adrian was standing there with two women in their early to mid-thirties, looking as attractive as he ever had, but to my surprise, he wasn't what grabbed my attention. No, the person I couldn't seem to drag my eyes from was the girl in the painting. Because that girl was me.

I sucked in a breath and, without meaning to, stepped closer to the painting and the group. I walked right up to it, staring breathlessly as I took in the girl's fierce expression and the juxtaposition of the fragile, soft curves of her body. But what really caught my attention, the thing that took my breath away, wasn't the beauty Adrian had managed to capture in my appearance or the fact that he still painted me after all these years.

"Adrian!" I screeched, completely forgetting that I hadn't said hello to him yet or that I hadn't seen him in six years or that we were in the middle of his fancy art exhibition. I turned to him, eyes wide and angry, and found him staring back at me, open-mouthed and confused. I was too angry to worry about his confusion at the moment. "Why am I _naked_?" I demanded, pointing toward the offending image.

The women stared between my enraged expression and the painting a few times before slowly stepping back into the crowd. Adrian, however, continued to gape at me. I just crossed my arms and waited for him to answer me.

It took a moment longer, but eventually Adrian pulled himself together and picked his jaw up off the floor. "What can I say? You're usually naked when I think about you, Sage."

His tone was overly light and I knew I'd thrown him for a loop by showing up here, but I couldn't manage to care at the moment. I glared at him some more, but he'd already moved passed my obvious outrage.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sydney?" he asked. His voice was the oddest mix of hurt, anger, relief and disinterest. I wasn't sure what to make of it and some of my anger faded into uncertainty.

"I... Well, I..." I shrugged, finally feeling the nervousness I knew was coming settle into my stomach. "I'm staying at the hotel," I said, gesturing around the room. "I saw the sign in the lobby and thought maybe... I don't know." He was giving me a hard look and I faltered under its intensity. "I can leave if you want."

His glare melted and suddenly he just looked tired. "No, I don't want you to leave. I just wasn't expecting to see you here. Or anywhere, really. You disappeared on me, Sydney." His mouth contorted into an ugly shape and my stomach dropped out knowing it was because I'd hurt him. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"I know. I'm sorry." It was all I could give him.

His shoulders slumped and he leaned back against the wall, next to the painting of me. "Why are you here?" he asked again, ignoring my apology.

"I told you—"

He shook his head. "No. Even if it's a coincidence that you're staying in the hotel, what are you doing down here? You knew I was going to be here. Coming was a choice."

"It didn't feel like much of a choice," I mumbled under my breath. He stared at me, waiting for a real answer. "I wanted to see you," I told him honestly. "When I left... I didn't do it because of you. I didn't want to leave you."

"Then why did you?" he sighed helplessly, his voice cracking slightly. He sounded so confused, so utterly heartbroken. I wanted to reach out to him, to tell him I loved him, that I'd never stopped. But he'd probably shrug me off, tell me to get lost. I was contemplating it anyway when an older woman in the most atrocious sequin black dress sauntered up to us.

"Adrian, my darling, this has got to be my favorite of your pieces," the woman drawled, looking up at the painting of me. I bit my lip and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling exposed.

Adrian pushed away from the wall and straightened up. He gave me a fleeting look, before turning to the painting. "It's my favorite too. And, wouldn't you know it, the model is actually right here."

He gestured to me with a smile, ignoring my glare, and the woman glanced my way for the first time. She didn't greet me, but instead studied me the way she had been the painting. "Yes," she said softly and looked back to the painting. "It's a marvelous rendition. I must own it. How much?"

"You can't have it," I said like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. I realized a moment later that the whole point of this gallery was exactly this. For Adrian to sell his work. Something in my chest broke when I realized he'd brought this painting here to sell.

"It's my painting, Sage," Adrian said pointedly.

"Yeah, but it's my body!" I hissed. "You can't just sell it."

"And why should I keep it?" he inquired nonchalantly. He'd hit the nail on the head with that question. After everything, why should he keep it? Why should he hold onto me when all I've ever done is cause him pain?

I didn't have an answer.

"I'm sorry, Regina," Adrian said, turning to the woman with a charming smile. "This painting's not for sale. Any of the other pieces, though, you're more than welcome to."

The woman looked back and forth between us a moment and then nodded. "It was nice seeing you again," she said to Adrian and then surprised me by turning to me with a smile. "And it was nice to meet you. You're absolutely stunning, in both the painting and in person."

I thanked her, feeling flustered from the compliment. It felt like forever since I'd actually received one that wasn't work related.

"You really do look beautiful tonight," Adrian said quietly once the woman, Regina, was gone. "I haven't told you that yet. It should have been the first thing I said."

I shook my head and forced a laugh. "You were too distracted by my sudden reappearance after all this time. And me yelling at you."

He laughed a little, but it quickly faded into seriousness. "So. What do we do now? I'd really like to know what happened to you and why you left without so much as a goodbye. But," he added quickly as I started to apologize again. "We can work up to that part. Can we just spend some time together tonight? I really missed you, Sydney."

I took a breath and closed my eyes for a few seconds, thankful that he wasn't demanding I leave. He missed me. And I knew once I told him all the things he wanted to know he'd probably be furious with me, but for right now I wanted this. To spend time with him, pretending the past didn't matter. Pretending nothing had changed between us. I was almost surprised by how fiercely I wanted it.

"I'd like that," I told him softly.

###

We did a few laps of the room, greeting people and talking about Adrian's art. Things became easier as we chatted and laughed. Being around him was familiar and I could almost forget that I'd been away from him for so long. He introduced me as his muse a few times, which some of the guests found delightful. Some, the younger, single women in particular, looked at me with a fair amount of distaste.

"They don't like you because they're jealous," Adrian whispered after three women in their late twenties sneered in my direction. "I've run into their type before. Girls who have nothing but time and daddy's money to spend. And they usually want to spend both with vaguely popular artists or musicians so they can claim to be someone's muse. Have a painting done of them or a song written about them. Not that I should talk," he said with a shrug. "Family money is the only reason I can paint and not have to live dependent on women like that."

"So you're not dating a rich art enthusiast who pays your bills for you?" I laughed.

Adrian glanced down at me slyly before pulling me through the crowd to an empty nook in the corner. He backed me into a wall, smiling widely. "Did you just casually ask if I was seeing someone, Sage?"

I smiled back and shrugged. "Just want to make sure I'm not about to be attacked by an angry art groupie."

"Nope. No angry art groupies to worry about. I'm currently very single. What about you? You dating anyone?" he asked, glancing down at my hands. "No ring," he observed.

I laughed. "I don't have time to date. The Alchemists like to keep me extra busy. And I'm certainly not marrying an Alchemist."

Adrian smiled. "The downfalls of being the best at your job."

The silence stretched until it was almost awkward. I cleared my throat, but Adrian cut me off before I could speak. Which was fine since I had no idea what I was going to say anyway.

"I'm glad," he said softly.

"Glad about what?"

"That you're not married to some Alchemist creep. That you're not dating anyone. That you showed up here tonight. You name it," he said with a shrug. "I just can't believe you're here, Sydney."

I reached out, taking his hand in mine and giving it a light squeeze. "I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad I came tonight. I'm so glad I saw you."

Adrian squeezed my hand back and when he did he used his grip to pull me towards him. He reeled me in until I was flush against his silky blue shirt, then he leaned his head down and rested his forehead next to mine. My hands came up and wrapped around his neck of their own accord. "I missed you," he breathed.

Without another thought I turned my face up to meet his, our lips brushing gently. "I love you."

Adrian let out some sort of growly moan and then we were kissing. His hands came up to tangle in my hair and I wrapped my arms tighter around him, pulling him closer, as close as he could get. It wasn't until, a minute later, when his lips started to travel down my neck that I realized we were still at his exhibition. Tucked away in a corner, sure, but still in public.

"Adrian," I breathed, pulling away. When he looked up at me I gestured around us. He seemed to understand without having to be told.

"Just give me one minute," he said and hurried out of our little corner and back into the crowd. True to his word he came back a minute later, taking my hand and leading me out of the banquet hall.

"We're leaving?" I asked. "But your gallery..."

"It's okay," Adrian said. "I'm having someone from the hotel handle the orders. And I've spent more than enough time mingling with the guests. Now it's time to mingle with you," he added with a smirk as he pulled me into the elevator.

"What floor's your room on?" he asked.

"Fifth," I said automatically. "Same as you."

Adrian turned to me with an amused look. "And how would you know what floor I'm on? Been coercing the hotel staff to find out about me, have you?"

I blushed, but tried my best to look casual. "Maybe."

Adrian shook his head. "Come here," he laughed, pulling me to him.

It didn't take long for our kissing in the elevator to turn into kissing in the hallway outside of Adrian's room, to us kissing inside Adrian's room. And when I found myself lying on Adrian's bed a few minutes later, I wasn't even the least bit surprised.

He pulled off his suit jacket and tossed it over the desk chair before coming to sit on the bottom of the bed. He stroked the sensitive skin around my ankles causing me to twitch the way he knew I would. He smiled and leaned up to kiss me. "Still ticklish, huh?"

I nodded and kissed him back.

"Do you... I mean, do you want to do this, Sydney?" he asked gently. "We don't have to."

"I want to," I sighed and leaned up to kiss him again. "I really do. I haven't... you know. In a while."

"How long's a while?" he asked curiously as he sat back, his hands traveling down my legs to unclasp my heels.

I bit my lip and leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "Six years," I whispered.

Adrian's fingers ceased their actions. I could feel him staring at me, but I refused to look at him. It was too embarrassing.

"How?" was all he said.

"I've been really busy, I told you," I defended. "I have responsibilities! People who need me. This is my first weekend away from home in almost five and a half years!"

He was quiet for a moment before he finished pulling off my other shoe and climbed up the bed to lay next to me. He propped himself up on his elbow and gently stroked my cheek. "I get being busy, Sydney, but... Our last time? Really? That was the last time you ever...?"

I nodded, still avoiding his gaze. I felt him shift, just the slightest bit, and then his mouth was on mine. I sighed, somehow feeling relaxed and excited at the same time.

"I need you, Sydney," Adrian whispered against my lips. "I've always needed you."

"No, you don't," I breathed.

He kissed a path down my throat. "I do," he murmured as he moved the strap of my dress aside, kissing my bare shoulder. "Let me show you how much I need you."

I pulled him back to my mouth, showing him how much I needed him.

###

I got off the elevator with trepidation. I'd snuck out of Adrian's room this morning without waking him. I'd told myself it was because he'd looked so peaceful in his sleep, but the truth was I'd woken up next to him and panicked. We'd slept together. If we hadn't I could've possibly walked away from this weekend and left things as they were. But now, after last night? How could I walk away? How could I hurt him again? But staying would hurt him too. It could hurt everyone I loved. Staying would mean telling him the truth, and that would change everything. Including the way he looked at me. It surprised me that that was what worried me the most. That Adrian wouldn't love me anymore once I told him everything.

I pushed open the door to my room. I hoped to change quickly and then head to Adrian's room. I prayed he was there. I was scared of what his reaction would be, but I needed to see him before I left. I needed to tell him why I left Palm Springs.

"Hey, Sage," said a voice to my left as I stepped into my room. I jumped, the magic I'd left dormant for so long rising up on instinct to protect me. It took a second to realize it was just Adrian.

"What are you doing in my room?" I demanded, flipping on the light switch. Adrian was sitting on my bed. Sprawled would be the better term, actually. He was leaning against a mountain of pillows and had his feet on the bed. He flipped off the TV he'd been watching and smiled at me.

"When I woke up and you'd mysteriously disappeared once again," he said, causing me to flinch, "I went to have a little chat with the concierge. He was kind enough to inform me that you were, in fact, still checked in at the hotel and he even gave me a key to your room. He was very helpful. I think I might write a letter to his manager suggesting he get a promotion. Or a raise." He smirked. "I figure it's the least I can do after the both of us compelled him."

I stifled a smile and crossed my arms, waiting.

"I figured I'd camp out in your room until you came back," he said finally. "It seemed like the only way to make sure I'd see you again."

"Oh, Adrian," I sighed and walked over to the bed. "I wasn't leaving. I was coming to see you right now, actually. I had to work this morning and... Well, I was scared." He slid over on the bed to make room for me and I sat down. "There are a lot of things I need to tell you. Things I'm terrified to tell you. I don't want you to hate me." A sob caught in my throat and I made an ugly choking sound.

Adrian wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. "Shh. It's okay," he murmured. "I will never hate you, Sydney. It doesn't matter what you have to tell me. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out together." He paused. "But if it bothers you so much then don't tell me. Let's just wipe the slate clean. Start over."

"We c-can't," I hiccuped. The tears had started and I couldn't shut them off no matter how much I wanted to.

"Why not?" he whispered gently.

"Because, you need to know." I pressed my face into the softness of his shirt. I couldn't look at him. "He's too important."

Adrian stiffened. "He?" he asked and, even crying, I could make out the hesitation in his voice.

I nodded my head. "Nicolas," I admitted. "Our son."

###

It took nearly all day to tell him everything. To explain how the Alchemists had suspected I was working against them, how they'd dragged me in for questioning, how I'd started getting sick. Morning sickness it turned out. I'd managed to convince them of my loyalty, or maybe the unexpected pregnancy had thrown them off. Either way, they'd pulled me from the field, assigning me to a desk job in Utah while I had the baby.

They'd questioned me about the father. I'd claimed it was a boy I'd dated for a little while, Brayden. They'd accepted it when I'd said I didn't want to involve him. We were both young, I didn't want to ruin his life. My father had been furious at my behavior and stupidity, but he'd changed his tune as soon as Nicolas was born.

No one ever questioned him. The way he was just a little stronger than most children, or the way he could hear better, see farther. I suspected my father knew the truth, but he never mentioned it and he loved Nick to pieces, so I eventually stopped worrying about it. I told Adrian how Nick was back in Utah, staying with my sister Carly because Stanton had decided to send me out here.

When I was finished I waited silently for Adrian to adjust to this new reality. The one where he had a son. A son who was the spitting image of him, aside from having my brown eyes. Sometimes Nick's face, so similar to Adrian's, was the only thing that got me through the day. I started to get up, wanting to get my phone from my purse so I could show him a picture, but Adrian grasped my hand and wouldn't let me go. He just stared ahead silently for a while, holding my hand the whole time.

Eventually he stood up and shook his head. "Sydney... I–I can't... This is impossible," he finally whispered, more to himself than me. "I've gone nuts, haven't I? For real this time." He looked up at me and his expression broke my heart. "Are you... Am I just dreaming you? All of it?"

"No!" I cried, jumping up to go to him. "Adrian, no. You're not crazy. Here, let me show you." I dug through my purse and grabbed my phone, flipping to the first picture of Nicolas. It was one of him sitting on my lap holding my phone up in front of him while we both made silly faces. Adrian took the phone from me like he was drowning and it was a life raft. He looked at the picture for a long while.

"This is... my son?" he asked softly, his voice far too calm for this situation. "His name is Nicolas?"

"Yes," I breathed, waiting for his reply. Waiting for him to yell at me for keeping such a huge secret.

He nodded, still looking at the picture. "He looks like me," he said, that soft, almost emotionless tone still in his voice. "He's mine. He's mine and you didn't tell me." His voice grew harder as he spoke. Colder. This was the anger I'd been waiting for.

"You kept him from me!" he yelled. "What the hell were you thinking, Sydney? How dare you!"

"I didn't mean to," I cried. "I swear, I always meant to tell you. I kept telling myself I'd let you know once the Alchemists stopped watching me so closely. And then by the time they did, it had already been so long. I didn't know how you'd react. One day became two, then a week, then a month... I was scared you wouldn't—"

"No." He shook his head vehemently. "Don't you dare blame me. Do you honestly think for even one second that I wouldn't have welcomed you and our son back with open arms? I loved you, Sydney! Did you ever even give a shit about me? Because, I'm no expert, but when you love someone I don't think you're supposed to take off and go into hiding with their kid!"

Adrian had never been one to get mad easily, but right at this moment he was more furious than I had ever seen him. He was breathing heavily through his nose, his chest heaving with the intensity of his anger.

"I'm sorry," I said as calmly as I could. Maybe if I calmed down he would sit and we could talk this out rationally. "You have every right to be mad..."

"Mad?" he said incredulously. "Mad? Sydney, I'm furious with you. I have never been angrier with anyone in my entire life! I can't..." He swallowed and looked around like he'd forgotten where he was. "I can't be here. I can't even look at you. I have to go." He started for the door.

"Adrian, don't walk away from me!" I said desperately.

He paused, a hand on the door knob. "No. I guess that's your job, huh?"

He'd meant it as a dig, but I went with it. "Exactly! You walking away won't solve anything."

He finally looked over his shoulder at me. His beautiful green eyes were flat and lifeless. "I don't want to solve anything, Sydney. I just want to get away from you."

I sucked in a sharp breath at his words, his defeated tone. When he opened the door and started to leave I cried out, reaching for him. "Adrian, don't!" But he'd already shrugged me off and escaped into the hallway. My eyes blurred with tears as I watched him get into the elevator and leave me behind.

My plane left Los Angeles a few hours later. Adrian hadn't come back yet, so I'd left a thumb drive with Nicolas's photo on it and my contact information for him with the concierge. I hoped he'd call. For Nicolas. I knew what I'd done was terrible and Adrian had every right to be angry. But I hoped he'd try to tamp that anger down enough to come visit his son.

###

Three days after I got home, Adrian still hadn't called. I'd cried, gotten angry—at myself and them at him for not calling, then I'd finally come to a decision. I had to call him. Three days might not have been enough time to adjust to the bombshell I'd just dropped on him, but I didn't want to let it sit too long either. Adrian had a son, a son who wanted to meet him. I had to do something before we both decided it was easier to pretend we'd never seen each other in L.A. I mentioned Adrian to Nick briefly over dinner, before I could change my mind about it.

"Guess who I saw in Los Angeles?" I asked as cheerfully as I could while the butterflies flapped around in my stomach. My dinner was threatening to make a reappearance, but I smiled and listened too all of his bizarre guesses. When he guessed Batman I had to intervene. "Your dad was there, actually." I held my breath, waiting for a response.

"Dad?" Nick asked, looking up at me with his wide brown eyes. "Was he selling his paintings?" he asked excitedly. "Did he say he missed me? Did he say he was coming home soon?" He paused and scrunched his nose, his little face crumpling in distaste. "Did you kiss him?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Yes. To all of those." It was a small lie in the big picture of things. And I couldn't tell my son that I'd never told his father he existed. I just couldn't.

"Ew!" Nick shouted, clearly stuck on the image of me kissing someone.

"Alright, alright," I said, grabbing his empty plate and dropping it in the kitchen sink. "Kissing is yucky, I know. I have something to ask you, though, so listen." His head snapped to attention. All thoughts of kisses fading from his mind. "If I call your dad tomorrow, would you like to talk to him?"

"Yes!" Nick shouted, grinning from ear to ear and reminding me so much of Adrian it hurt. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"Okay," I said, forcing a smile. "Okay. We'll call him tomorrow then. For now go get ready for bed and I'll be in in a few minutes."

Nick wrapped his arms around my waist, squeezing tight. "Thanks, Mom!" Then he ran off down the hall to get ready for bed.

My smile faded as I took a seat on the couch. It was stupid to tell Nick we'd call before I knew how Adrian would react. I wasn't even sure if he'd take my call in the first place. He said he'd accept our son, but I couldn't be sure... No. Adrian was a good man. A noble man. He always had been. He'd be a good dad. Even if he hated me, he'd be a good dad.

I stood up from the couch, plastered a smile back on my face and went to tuck my kid into bed.

Half an hour later I had gotten Nick to sleep and just started the dishes when there was a knock on my door. I rinsed off my hands, drying them on a dish towel, and went to see who it was. It was late, not too late for visitors, but I didn't know anyone who might be stopping by tonight. I peeked though the peephole in the apartment door and found myself looking into one incredibly green eye.

"Let me in, Sydney," Adrian said. "I can hear you in there."

I jumped away from the door in surprise, but immediately undid the lock and chain and pulled open the door. There in the hall, Adrian straightened to his full height. He leaned forward to look around me into the apartment, but didn't try to come inside.

"I hope it's not too late," he said, looking back at me.

My heart stuttered for a moment, thinking of all the implications of that phrase. Too late? Too late to be a part of Nick's life? Of mine? Finally I decided he must have meant the time of night.

"Not too late at all." I stepped aside, letting him into the living room. I couldn't believe he was actually here. I searched for something to say, anything to make it less awkward. But I couldn't think with him standing here, in my living room. I looked around. In my _messy_ living room.

I hurriedly bent to pick up a container of Nick's toys, throwing toy cars and a Lego set in as I went. I put the container on the table and turned back to see Adrian giving me a funny look.

"What?" I asked, self consciously.

He shook his head, looking mystified. "Nothing. It's just... you're like a mom now. To my son." His expression tensed and he sighed. "I still can't believe you did this to me."

I knew that what I'd done was wrong and that he had every right to be angry, but his tone rankled. "Did what to you, Adrian?" I snapped. "Lied to you or made you a father?"

"You didn't make me a father!" He argued, his voice growing louder with every word. I gestured for him to keep quiet and he continued at a normal level, although he still sounded angry. "You took being a father away from me. All I ever wanted was to be with you. You don't think I daydreamed of having kids with you? Of playing house?"

"I'm not _playing house_, Adrian. This is my life. I have to cook and clean and take care of a five year old boy. I'm not playing."

"Don't get all self-righteous, Sydney," he said softly, but there was anger in it. "I know what you must have been through. And I'm sorry, I'm sorry I wasn't there. But _you_ decided I wasn't good enough to be in my kid's life, or yours. And you have no idea how much that hurts me. That you didn't think I'd be a good father."

"Adrian," I said, shaking my head and then stopped. I hadn't thought he would be a bad father. I had only thought of the repercussions of the Alchemists finding out he _was_ the father. "I'm sorry."

His mouth twisted and I could see his beautiful green eyes had a glassy sheen to them. He sat down on the couch and then reached behind him, pulling an action figure out of the couch cushions. He studied it for a moment, then smiled and threw it in the bucket of toys on the coffee table.

I sat across from him on the coffee table and took his hands. He didn't pull away and I took that as a good sign. "I never, not once, thought that you would be a bad father. How could you?" I asked him, tears stinging behind my eyes. "You're the kindest, most loving, noble man I've ever met. I'm so sorry, Adrian. I felt trapped and I lied and I wanted to call you and tell you every moment since. I was scared. It's not an excuse for what I did, but it's the only reason I have."

He studied our hands, mine holding onto his as if I were afraid he would drift away from me if I didn't hold them tight enough. "Can I meet him?" he asked roughly.

"Yes," I breathed. I let go of his hands and glanced over my shoulder at the clock on the wall. "He's asleep, but if you come back tomorrow—"

"Now, Sydney. I want to meet him now." My eyes locked with his, and there was anger and exasperation there, but also fear. He was afraid I wouldn't let him see Nick, I realized. Afraid I'd kick him out. "It's not that late. Waking him up won't hurt him."

"Okay," I agreed, getting up. "Stay here, I'll get him."

I walked into Nick's room, flicking the lights on and going to sit on the edge of the bed. "Nicky, baby," I whispered, gently shaking his shoulder. "Wake up."

Nick groaned and rolled over, covering his eyes from the light. "Too tired."

"I know, baby. That's because you only slept a little while." I brushed his brown hair away from his eyes, and he squinted up at me. "Remember I told you that tomorrow we'd call your dad?"

Nick nodded enthusiastically. "Is it tomorrow?" he asked, his sleepiness fading as he grew more and more excited.

"It's not tomorrow yet," I said. "But I have a surprise for you. Your dad couldn't wait to talk to you so he flew here in a big airplane."

"He's here!" Nick shouted too loudly while he scrambled out from underneath his blankets. "Dad's here?"

I smiled and nodded, helping him pull his legs out of the tangle of sheets. "He's waiting for you in the living room." He started to run into the hallway but I jumped up and blocked him. "Don't you think maybe you should put some clothes on first?" I laughed, gesturing to his Batman pajama bottoms. He refused to wear a shirt to bed.

He started to shake his head, but then an idea seemed to come over him and he ran over to his dresser, digging through it for clothes. He pulled out a navy button down shirt I'd gotten him for Christmas last year and started trying to pull it over his head.

"Let me help you." I unbuttoned a few of the buttons and helped him slip the shirt on. Then he pulled out a pair of black dress pants to go with the shirt. "This might be over doing it a little, Nick. I just meant for you to put a shirt on."

"I want to dress nice for Dad," he said, stepping into the pants.

"But I thought you didn't like that shirt?" I asked, watching him finish getting ready. He looked in the mirror and made sure his hair wasn't sticking up all over the place. Just like Adrian he had messy brown hair and just like Adrian he was nearly obsessed with making sure it looked perfect each and every second of the day.

"I don't like the way it scratches my neck," he said, pulling on the collar for emphasis. "But it looks nice for first impresses."

"Impressions," I corrected gently.

"Yeah, that," he said, strutting towards the door to his room. "I want Dad to see how big I am. I don't want him to think I'm some little baby still."

I swallowed, watching my son confidently walk down the hallway to meet his father for the first time. He had no idea that Adrian hadn't known about him until a few days ago. He thought his father had been away, but always thought he'd come back. He'd asked me all the time when he was younger if Daddy was coming home soon. He didn't ask with the same frequency anymore, but judging by his reaction tonight, he'd never given up hope.

I followed after him, stepping into the living room a second behind him. Adrian, who was still sitting on the couch, turned to face us. His eyes moved to me first and then traveled down to look at Nick. All the anger he had at me, all the confusion, it all melted away the second he laid eyes on him.

Nick, who's confidence had rivaled Adrian's up until this point, reached back and grabbed my hand, looking up at me. I nodded and gave him a little push forward. He bit his lip and studied Adrian for a moment. Adrian studied him right back.

"Daddy?" Nick questioned uncertainly.

"Your mom gave me a picture of you," was all Adrian could muster. "You're so much bigger in person."

That was a good enough reaction for Nick because he smiled and moved closer to the couch. "I have a picture of you too," he said. "In my room. I have to keep it in the drawer sometimes if Grandpa's over, but I say goodnight to it every night."

Adrian tried to smile, but he couldn't seem to control his facial muscles anymore. They twitched, making his mouth quiver. He reached out and stroked Nick's hair back. I'd been able to control my emotions up until that point, but seeing Adrian look at Nick like that, like he was the most precious thing in the world, was too much. Tears streamed down my face as I watched my son climb onto his father's lap.

"I missed you, Daddy," he said, wrapping his arms around Adrian's neck. "Are you gonna stay at home or are you gonna leave again?"

"I missed you too, buddy." Adrian patted Nick's back and looked up at me. "And I don't want to leave again, but... I have to talk with Mommy about what we're going to do now, okay?"

The word _mommy_ rolled awkwardly off of Adrian's tongue but other than that he was handling this situation exceptionally well. I was proud of him.

Nick nodded and pulled back to look at me. "Can Dad stay here tonight? Please, Mom?"

I smiled, wiping away the tear stains on my cheeks. "Of course he can." I sniffled. "And we'll talk tomorrow about what we're going to do. After you hang out with your dad a bit."

Nick grinned and leaned forward, grabbing a couple of action figures out of the bucket on the table. "We can wake up early and play superheroes!" he exclaimed, handing Adrian a toy. "You can be Batman."

Adrian accepted the caped action figure like a natural, nodding. "Is Batman your favorite?" he asked.

"Nah," Nick said, moving his figure's arms and legs so it looked like he was flying. "Batman's cool, but Superman's my favorite. He's a real superhero. With powers and stuff. But Batman has a better costume."

They went on like that, discussing the many subtle differences between superheroes and what made who cool, for a while. Finally, Nick's head lolled back against Adrian's shoulder and Adrian put the toys back in the bucket. He planted a soft kiss on Nick's forehead and then glanced up at me.

"You just gonna stand there all night?" he asked with a smile. I'd been watching them from my spot near the hallway. I hadn't moved since I came into the room, just quietly leaned back against the wall and took it all in. The surreal feeling of seeing Nick curled up on Adrian's lap, discussing superheroes. Now I walked over and sat next to Adrian on the couch.

"I don't have an extra room," I said quietly, "but you're more than welcome to stay. I can make up the couch or..." I shrugged, not wanting to come right out and invite him to stay in my room, but wanting him to know the option was available to him.

He nodded, not saying anything for a few moments. "I'm more concerned with where I'll be staying tomorrow. Or the next day. Or next week." He gave me a sad smile. "I know the Alchemists aren't going to just be okay with this, I know I can't just come stay with you forever. But I don't want to leave him."

"I know," I said with a small smile. I knew he'd be a good dad. "I don't want you to leave him either." Or me.

"Good," Adrian said, looking resolved about something. "Because I've been thinking. There's a house in California that I found. I think I should buy it. It would be great for Nick."

"You want to buy a house?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah," Adrian said, getting excited about the idea. He sat up a little bit making sure not to jostle the boy in his arms. "It's a great place. It's got plenty of room for Nick and even a place for an art studio so I could be home with him. And it's got a nice backyard with a great view," he added quietly. "I remember how much you like a good view."

I just stared at him for a moment. "You want to buy us a house? In California? That's what you've been doing the past three days?" I asked incredulously.

"Why?" he asked hesitantly. "Was that wrong? You don't want to move? You don't want to be with me?"

I laughed once and the sound was so full of relief I nearly laughed again. "I thought you were mad. I thought... that you wanted nothing to do with me."

Adrian swallowed roughly and reached out to brush my hair back from my face. "I was mad. I still am, I guess. But it doesn't matter." I started to tell him that it did matter, but he cut me off. "Sydney, nothing matters as long as you're with me. Just us. And Nick now, obviously."

I sniffled again, feeling the tears threatening to spill over one more time. Adrian continued stroking my hair with one hand, the other hand holding our son.

"You told him about me. Gave him a picture of me," he said quietly, almost in awe, like he hadn't been expecting it.

I smirked through the tears. "Of course I did. How could I deny him the privilege of knowing he's related to Adrian Ivashkov?"

He grinned and leaned forward, his lips just barely brushing against mine. "Sweet talker," he murmured.

I laughed and leaned into his touch, but never got the chance to kiss him. Our movement caused Nick to stir and he sat up groggily, rubbing at his eyes. I pulled back from Adrian, very reluctantly.

"Come on," I said softly. "Let's get you to bed. It's late."

"_Idunwanndadleaf_," Nick mumbled into Adrian's shoulder. Adrian smiled a little and sat up, holding Nick close as he got to his feet.

"What did he say?" I whispered to him, getting up myself and leading him down the hall to Nick's room.

"He said, 'I don't want Dad to leave'," Adrian said with an awed smile. "Don't worry, buddy," he said, holding Nick tightly. "I'm not gonna leave. I'll be here when you wake up."

Nick mumbled something unintelligible even to Moroi ears and wrapped his arms around Adrian's neck as we walked into his room. Adrian had to pry his little fingers apart to get Nick into his bed. I usually always put Nick to bed myself, even when my Mom or Dad or sisters wanted to. Mostly because when Nick was sleepy he reminded me even more of Adrian than he normally did. Watching the two of them now, seeing Adrian brush back Nick's hair and kiss his forehead, hearing Nick whisper, "Goodnight, Daddy," to him for the first time... How could I have ever kept them from each other?

I had done it out of fear at first, but now I wasn't afraid. I couldn't be, because no matter what the Alchemists did to me, it could never be worse than what I'd done to Adrian and Nick. I thought back on all of the nights I'd put my son to bed, all the Saturday mornings I'd woken up to see Nick in the living room watching cartoons. My brain superimposed Adrian into all of those memories. Adrian and Nick watching Bugs Bunny and eating sugary cereal. Adrian and Nick playing Legos and action figures and race cars. What I did was done out of love and fear but it didn't make it any less cruel. I made my decision right then and there that I wouldn't ever keep them apart again. Adrian would buy the house in California and Nick and I would move in with him. We'd move to Australia if we had to, but we'd stay together because we were a family. It didn't matter what the Alchemists said or did. I was done with them, for good. And Adrian and I would figure this out. I know I'd hurt him terribly, but I loved him so much. We could work it out.

Adrian pulled the blankets up around Nick's shoulders and walked over to the door. He flicked off the lights and gestured for me to follow him into the hall. "He's sound asleep," he said quietly and leaned back against the wall opposite me.

"We'll go to California with you," I said quickly before I could talk myself out of it.

Adrian did a double take. "Are you serious?"

I nodded, giving him a small smile. "Our son needs his father," I said simply. "And I've been thinking about quitting my job."

Adrian, despite my joke, was looking at me seriously. "And you're not worried that the Alchemists won't like you leaving?"

"Oh, they won't be pleased, no. But I don't care. I'll tell Stanton I quit, and she'll probably tell me that's not possible, maybe even threaten me with Re-education. It doesn't matter." I shrugged. "We need to be together."

Adrian pressed his lips together thoughtfully and then pulled away from the wall to stand closer to me. "We do, do we?" he asked with an amused grin.

I rolled my eyes. "I meant all of us. As a family."

This only seemed to amuse Adrian more. "Ah. Like a mommy," he gestured to me, "and a daddy," he gestured to himself. He stepped closer, leaning down until he was so close I could feel his warm breath on my cheek. "And their children."

"Children?" I breathed, closing my eyes.

"Yeah, you know. The small people mommies and daddies make when they get naked—"

I opened my eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Yes, Adrian. I know what children are. But... I mean, you want more? Than Nick?"

"Not right now," he said casually. "But in the future, when it's safe, yes. I can't think of anything better than having another one of those," he said, gesturing back toward Nick's room. "He's like an exact mix of us, Sydney. He's the most perfect thing I've ever seen. So, yeah. If you want to, I'd like to make another one."

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, trying not to cry again. I really wasn't much of a crier, but it was difficult when the guy you've been in love with since you were eighteen was standing right in front of you saying such perfect things. When I opened my eyes again Adrian was looking at me with a worried half-smile. I nodded my head and all but threw myself into his arms. "Yes," I whispered. "Yes, I want that. When it's safe I want to have another baby with you. One that you can be there for from the beginning."

Adrian squeezed me to him and then we were kissing, finally! I felt the tears, hot and sticky, streaming down my face as we somehow made our way into my bedroom without breaking the kiss. It felt like years had passed since he'd kissed me like this, but I knew it had only been three days. These kisses were different though. These kisses weren't weighed down by lies and guilt. These kisses were free, real. Adrian knew the truth and he still wanted me.

I crawled into my bed, dragging Adrian in with me. He immediately set to work unbuttoning my blouse. He pressed his mouth to my neck, kissing me hard enough to leave a bruise, and pushed my shirt off of my shoulders.

"Dad!" a little voice shouted from down the hall.

I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut, hoping I was hearing things. Adrian didn't seem too upset about the interruption, however.

"I guess this is what being a parent is all about, huh?" He chuckled against my neck before planting a kiss on my lips. "I'll be back," he whispered against my mouth, sending a shiver down my spine, before hopping out of bed and going to Nick's room.

I got up and changed into a pair of pajamas while I waited for Adrian to come back. After a few minutes I decided I might as well take care of notifying Stanton. I pulled my laptop off of the side table by my bed and pulled up my email. I figured this was the easiest way to handle it. She'd see it in the morning and I'd undoubtably be on the receiving end of a very aggravated phone call, but it didn't matter. It needed to be done. It was what I should have done years ago.

I sent off the email and then glanced at a few of the messages I'd received and hadn't responded to yet. I guess I didn't have to worry about getting back to any of them now. I was just about to shut down the computer when I noticed a new email from Stanton. My heart jumped into my throat and my mouse hovered over the message. I didn't think she'd be up and working this late. Finally I mustered the courage to click the email.

_Ms. Sage,_

_I received your message about leaving the Alchemists. While this request is quite imprudent, I can't say it was entirely unexpected of you. I take this news to mean your trip to Los Angeles was... productive?_

What? I read the message again and then a third time before I finally understood. I typed back a hasty reply, hoping she was still online and that I hadn't completely misconstrued her message.

_You knew. You knew he'd be in L.A. at that hotel. You sent me there on purpose because you knew._

Her reply came a minute later.

_You know I adore that little boy of yours, Sydney, but I know a dhampir when I see one._

My heart seized up seeing it written so plainly on the screen. Dhampir. The word I'd been trying to avoid ever since I found out I was pregnant. I didn't care that Nick was a dhampir, but there were many people in our lives that would see him as evil if they ever found out. I'd always thought Stanton was at the top of that list.

_So you know. And you're okay with it?_

Her reply took a little longer this time.

_It doesn't matter if I'm okay or not. It only matters that you are. He's going to get older and it will be harder to hide what he is. Both of you could be in danger if anyone else found out. If you want to disappear, then I'll make it happen. Get out of your apartment as soon as possible and don't contact me again. I have to go. I have a lot of paperwork to file in the morning._

_D. Stanton_

_P.S. Be careful._

I blinked at the glowing laptop screen a few times. I couldn't believe Stanton had known, that she'd set up the whole trip to L.A. so I would run into Adrian. It was incredible, but so weird. I never thought she liked me very much, certainly not enough to cover up for me. But that was exactly what she was offering to do. I closed my laptop and put it back on my nightstand, feeling a strange anxiety wash over me. Partly it was from fear. I was scared that the Alchemists would find out what I was planning before I could get out of town. I trusted Stanton and believed she'd help, but I didn't like anyone knowing about Nick or Adrian.

The other part of my anxiety was simply from all that tomorrow would entail. I'd need to pack all of our essentials, like clothes and personal belongings. The other stuff could all get left behind, I didn't care. And we'd have to figure out where we'd stay for awhile.

_I'm sure we could stay with Adrian_, I told myself. _He must have an apartment or someplace we could stay until he buys the house._

I smiled to myself thinking about the house. I hadn't even seen it yet, but I was already imagining living there with Adrian and Nick and any other kids we had. We were going to be a real family. A mommy and daddy and their children, just like Adrian had said. And the Alchemists wouldn't bother us. Stanton was going to take care of it.

I hopped out of bed, dying to tell Adrian about the conversation with Stanton. Just knowing he was there, right down the hall, and I could tell him about it, about anything, made my heart skip a beat. I wasn't in this alone anymore. When I got to Nick's room the sight before me was nearly enough to make me tear up again. The lights were on and Adrian was squeezed onto Nick's twin bed, one leg balancing precariously on the edge. Nick was curled into a ball in Adrian's arms, his head on his shoulder, and his scratchy blue dress shirt thrown haphazardly on the floor beside the bed.

I walked over, slowly, trying not to wake them and brushed some hair out of Nick's face. He snuggled closer to Adrian. Then I did the same to Adrian, pressing a kiss to his forehead and trying not to grin like an idiot about how cute this scene was. I found an extra blanket in the closet and pulled it over both of them and was just about to flip the lights off and go back to bed when I heard the chirp of Adrian's phone. I went out to the living room to search out the phone and, luckily, it chirped again. I found it on the end table where he must have placed it earlier.

I wasn't snooping or anything, but I had a pretty good idea of who was texting him, and when I glanced at the screen my suspicions were confirmed.

The name Jailbait filled the screen and the message said: _He's too cute! You better send me a picture, Adrian._

I couldn't help it. I took the phone and went back into Nick's room. I snapped a photo and sent it to Jill. I knew she was probably mad at me, since she could see everything through the bond, but I hoped she would appreciate the picture.

A few moments later the phone dinged again and I glanced at the message.

_That is the most precious thing I have ever seen._

And then: _It's good to have you back, Sydney._

I smiled and flipped the lights off, going back to my room and putting Adrian's phone down on his side of the bed. I got into bed thinking that this would be my life from now on. Or at least, I hoped it would. Adrian and I raising Nick, living in California. No more Alchemists to worry about. I was still scared of them. I'd be scared for awhile, but eventually it would fade. It would all be okay. And even if it wasn't, I wasn't on my own anymore. I had Adrian to help me when I was scared. I closed my eyes and fell asleep to that thought.

**Whew! That was a long chapter! Sorry if it was too long for you.**

**Okay, so my authors note is down here because I didn't want to give anything about the story away by putting it at the top. If you've been reading other Bloodlines fanfics you'll probably know the two awesome stories that this chapter was inspired by. ****_Endgame_**** by LGP, which is just fantastic and delves way deeper into Sydney bailing after finding out she's pregnant, and ****_Back to You_**** by stirringofmysoul, which is in the M category. Seriously, ****_Back to You_**** was an awesome read and is now complete with a sequel just beginning. So if you liked this chapter and haven't read those stories yet, go check them out. After reading them I just couldn't shake the idea of Adrian finding out he had a kid after such a long time. I know I've already done something similar with chapter 3 - Pink Blanket, but I wanted to see what would happen if his kid was older when they met. Plus I really wanted to give him a son ;)**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took me forever to write so hopefully now I'll have a few shorter (much shorter!) updates for you.**


	39. Silk

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**So this is a really quick update. Princess suggested Lace and Silk a while ago and this just came to me. Not much happening here, but I think it's cute. Review and let me know! And feel free to suggest prompts or ideas :)**

I've always loved the feel of silk sheets. They're softer, smoother, just all around better than regular cotton sheets. Even the really expensive kind. And that's just when I'm sleeping. You put a hot girl in my bed, wrapped in those silk sheets, and it becomes the sexiest thing ever.

Smooth sheets slipping over even smoother skin. Legs tangled together, hands caressing, lips tasting each other. I couldn't imagine any fabric better than silk.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I was shipped off to Palm Springs, a desert no less, and was forced to buy cotton sheets. Cotton, the poor man's fabric. Sticky, crumpled up cotton. Cotton that would never slide against a smooth leg, or curl down a body in a perfect form fitting silhouette. I missed the look and feel of silk so much that I thought about saving up for some decent sheets, but could never seem to actually do it. Probably because that would have entailed giving up cigarettes and alcohol for awhile. So I stuck with the cotton.

That was, until a particularly hot blonde became the object of my fantasies. When she finally admitted to her feelings for me and we started dating I kept meaning to go buy new sheets. It was important. Sydney and silk was possibly the sexiest thing I could ever imagine and I didn't want to miss out on that.

But when one thing led to another and then that thing led to Sydney stretched out on my boring cotton sheets I was a little too distracted to care. See, Sydney might not have been wrapped in silk, but the other things were there. Smooth legs, caressing hands, and oh-my-god her lips. But almost better than any of that, was what she _was_ wrapped in.

Lace.

Black, see-though, and very, very tight. It was all I could see, all I could feel, the only thing I wanted to touch. Forget the silk. Sydney wrapped in lace was my new favorite thing, cotton sheets or not.

But, I decided, I was still going to buy those new sheets. And soon. Because if Sydney wrapped in lace and cotton looked that good, I couldn't imagine how good she'd look wrapped in lace and silk.


	40. Surprise

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Have you guys seen the latest Fiery Heart quote? About Sydney spending a lot of time on Adrian's bed?! Eeek! Totally fangirling right now :) Anyway let me know what you think of this one, or leave a prompt, whatever. I have a bunch of your prompts in the works, just got to finish some of them!**

Slipping out of Amberwood without Zoe finding out wasn't the easiest task to accomplish. But even that had been easier then my current task. I'd made it all the way to Carlton's campus to see Adrian, but I couldn't seem to figure out where the art building was, despite detailed directions—courtesy of Jill. I must have walked in a circle around the whole campus. Twice!

It was all supposed to be a big surprise for Adrian. We hadn't spent much time together lately. And that was mostly my fault—or, well, Zoe's sort of. Ever since she'd shown up in Palm Springs my alone time with Adrian had been cut extremely short. So, when Ms. Terwilliger had agreed to help me sneak away for the afternoon under the pretense of working on a project for my independent study, I'd jumped on the chance. According to Jill, Adrian had just gotten out of class but was working on a project in one of the art rooms. In the art building. Which I couldn't find!

I glanced around, looking for a sign or something that would tell me which direction the art building was in. I was just about to call Jill and ask her for directions when a girl stopped in front of me.

She was tall and very pretty with long black hair. She looked the way I'd always wanted to look, but now, seeing her, I wasn't jealous of her height or her body. Not the way I would have once been. I smiled inwardly, knowing that I had Adrian to thank for that. Ever since he'd called me out on my body issues I'd been feeling a lot better about myself.

"Excuse me," the girl said, interrupting my thoughts. I was just about to tell her she should find someone else ask directions because I was lost as well, but her next words stopped me. "You wouldn't be looking for Adrian Melrose, would you?"

I stared at her stupidly for a moment before I collected myself. "Yes, I am. How did you know?"

The girl smiled, smugly. "Because you're Sydney, right? I can tell from your tattoo. He's always sketching it or painting it. I knew it had to be you the second I saw it."

"Oh. That's... um." I opened my mouth and them closed it again, at a complete loss. "Do you know where he is right now?" I finally asked. She seemed to know Adrian so I was hoping she'd seen him recently. "I was trying to surprise him, but I've never been here before. I guess I got lost."

The girl smiled kindly and gestured for me to follow her. "Sure. I'm Rowena, by the way. Rowena Clark. I take it Adrian hasn't mentioned me?" She glanced over her shoulder as I hurried to keep up with her.

"Um, no. Not really," I said honestly. "Although Adrian and I haven't had much of a chance to talk recently. Which was sort of the reason I wanted to surprise him today."

Rowena nodded like she understood. "My girlfriend moved to the east coast to go to school," she said as we rounded the corner of a building and headed for a set of glass double doors. "I haven't had a chance to really talk to her since the summer. It sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," I sympathized. "I guess it does. Even though Adrian's so close, I feel like he might as well be across the country. And we've only been together a few weeks. I don't know what I'll do if this goes on for much longer."

"If what goes on?" she asked, leading me into a hallway. It was mostly empty except for a few guys standing outside one of the rooms. On further inspection the room they were standing outside of was filled with easels. Paint was splattered all over the guys pants and sneakers. I realized this was the art building. I was standing right behind it the whole time.

"If what goes on?" Rowena said again, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, nothing." I shrugged. "I mean, all the work I've been doing in school. I have an independent study and my teacher expects a lot. It feels like I have no free time for myself." I hoped she'd accept that answer and let the subject drop.

Thankfully she did. But I got the feeling it was because we'd stopped in front of one of the studio rooms and not because she believed me.

"Adrian," she called, singsongy, into the room. "Gotta surprise for you."

"Oh, yeah?" I heard a familiar voice call from inside the studio. I peeked inside and saw Adrian's back while he concentrated on the canvas in front of him. No one else was in the room. "Unless it's a finished painting you're willing to let me turn in to Sampson tomorrow, I don't want it," Adrian went on without turning.

Rowena laughed. "I think you'll want this," she said, and gave me a little push into the room. Once I was inside she closed the door, smiling at me through the glass pane, before walking out of sight.

Hearing the door click shut Adrian put down his paint brush and turned around. "So what's so—oh." I smiled as he finally turned and saw me standing by the door. "She was right," he said. "I do want this surprise."

"So, Rowena," I said. "She seems nice."

"Very nice," he grinned, walking over to me. "You should watch out. She just might steal me away."

I grinned back. "Well, I'm pretty sure her girlfriend would make her give you back," I joked.

"Probably," Adrian laughed, stepping closer and putting his hands on either side of my waist. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Not that I mind. I can't think of a better surprise than you showing up here. Especially right now, but is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling myself closer to him. "I had a chance to slip out of Amberwood and I took it. Why, what's going on?" I glanced around his shoulder at the painting he was working on. It was little more than a sketch. A sketch that looked as if he had started and then erased it a few times so far. "Having trouble?"

Adrian lowered his head so it was resting in the crook of my neck. His lips brushed the sensitive skin there, causing a shudder to run down my spine. "A little. No better time for my beautiful girlfriend-slash-muse to show up."

"Mmm," I murmured enjoying the warmth of him so close. "She mentioned that. Rowena. She said you sketch me. Or my tattoo anyway."

He sighed. "Sometimes. I'm not a huge fan of your tattoo, but it's beautiful and a part of you, so... I have a few sketches of you too. I haven't tried to really make anything of them yet though." He lifted his head from my shoulder, cocking his head to the side as he looked at me. "Do you want to help me out a little?" he asked.

"How do you mean?" I asked suspiciously.

"Come here." He smiled and took my hand, leading me to small white platform in the middle of the room. "I'm blocked. Just sit here and let me sketch you for a while. Maybe it'll help."

"What's the project you're working on right now?" I asked, sitting on the platform where he told me to. I placed my bag on the floor next to me and looked up at him.

"It's supposed to be a fantasy. Like, I don't know, something magical or..." Adrian trailed off, looking at me oddly with his head cocked to the side. He considered me for a moment longer and then smiled. "See, Sage. You really are my muse. I think you've already given me an idea."

"Good," I smiled back at him, but the smile quickly faded as he turned away from me to find some heavy black paper. "Um, Adrian? What are you doing?" I asked as I watched him take the paper to the door and cover up the small window pane into the hallway. I narrowed my eyes. "This idea of yours... It doesn't happen to involve me getting naked, does it?"

Adrian finished putting up the paper and then turned around with a smirk. "Well, I wouldn't mind if it did, but that's totally up to you now, isn't it?" He walked back over to me and reached for my hand, turning it palm up. "I just want you to sit like this. If you'd like to take your clothes off, feel free, but it's your magic I was thinking of."

I grinned and shook my head. "Isn't that cheating a little bit? You're supposed to paint a fantasy, not me using magic."

"Trust me, Sydney," he whispered, leaning down until his lips were just an inch from mine. "You are always at the center of my fantasies."

His hands skimmed down my sides—leaving a trail of electric sparks in their wake—and then slowly traced their way back up until he reached my arms. Putting me into the position he wanted he finally stepped back, leaving me wanting to chase after him, but instead I stayed still, my arms out, palms up.

Adrian went back to his easel and grabbed a new canvas. "Just close your eyes and relax, okay? If you feel up to it you can summon the flames later, but you don't have to. I can't seem to shake the image of you throwing fireballs out in the desert, anyway."

I closed my eyes, trying to relax, but smiled. "Just let me know when you want me to do the spell. I wouldn't want your fantasy picture to not be true to life."

He laughed. "No one will know it's real except me and you. To everyone else, I'll just have a really awesome imagination." He paused and I could feel his eyes on me. "And a really hot girlfriend."

It wasn't like he ever spared the compliments with me, but hearing him call me hot, while I could feel his eyes studying my face, it was too much. My cheeks heated and I fought back a smile.

It took a while for Adrian to finish his sketch. While he was working, my mind started to wander. It was all over the place, from Zoe and the Alchemists to what I wanted to do with Adrian when we were done here. The latter made me blush anew and I tried to change my train of thought.

"Alright, I'm done with the first part," Adrian finally said, backing away from the easel. "If you want to do the spell I'll work fast so you don't have to burn so much energy."

"Okay." I concentrated on the magic, the way Ms. Terwilliger taught me and felt the flame light in my hand.

"That's perfect," he said. "Also you can open your eyes." I looked up and he grinned. "I know you're dying to watch me paint you."

I scoffed. "Yeah, I'm going into withdrawal from not looking at you for the last half hour."

Adrian was studying the flames I was conjuring, but that didn't stop him from smirking. "Well, then you should get as much of me as possible while you can. You never know how long it'll be 'til the next time you see me."

I knew he was only teasing, but his words struck a cord in me and I immediately dropped my hand, letting the flame fizzle out.

"Are you okay?" Adrian asked, jumping away from the canvas and rushing over to me. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I said, and apologized for ruining his sketch.

"Don't worry about it. I know what you look like when you do magic. I'll finish it later." He pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Are you hungry?"

I pulled him even closer and breathed him in. His cologne and the scent of clove drifted around me, making me feel safe. "A little," I murmured in reply. "Let's go get something and hang out for a little while. If you're sure you'll have enough time to get this painting done," I added, worrying about his grade.

"It'll be fine," Adrian promised with an amused smile. "Let's get out of here."

I nodded at let him lead me toward the door. When he stopped to grab his canvas I grabbed his hand, spinning him toward me.

"What's—" he began but I cut him off with a kiss.

We stood there for awhile, I don't know how long exactly, just kissing. Kissing like we had all the time in the world. When Adrian finally pulled back he had a dazed look in his eye. I rested my head on his chest and held him close.

"I love you," I whispered into his T-shirt. "I hate that we can't spend more time together. It's all I want."

He rubbed gentle circles on my back and laid his cheek on the top of my head. "I know. It's all I want too. But we do have today." He pulled back from me, his green eyes bright. "Let's go get something to eat, okay? And we'll spend the afternoon together. We'll talk and kiss and I'll tell you I love you a thousand times."

I snorted a laugh. "Sounds like a plan. And maybe you'll have time to paint some more of your fantasy."

He picked up the canvas in one hand and wrapped the other around me. He bent, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "Forget painting the fantasy. I'd rather spend the day living a fantasy with you."

"Lunch and talking?" I laughed. "What a fantasy!"

Adrian squeezed me to his side. He leaned down to mumble in my ear, his warm breath causing shivers to vibrate down my spine.

"To me it is." Then he straightened up, ushering me into the hall. The black paper was still up on the door. "Come on," he said. "Let's go get lunch. I'll let you decide what we get. And it can even be healthy if you want."

I rolled my eyes, but leaned closer to him. We might not be able to spend as much time together as I'd like, but Adrian was right. We did have today. And whatever adventure it brought us. Because, with Adrian, everything was always an adventure, even mundane tasks like lunch.


	41. Lunch

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Okay, after reading Sksai's story Here is Gone I just needed something cute and fluffy and happy! So I finished this half written one shot I had lying around. Review and let me know what you think!**

**P.S. You guys. We're almost at 400 reviews on this story! That makes me all kinds of crazy happy. You guys are incredible. Happy spirit dreams with Adrian to you all!**

Two years.

Two whole years it had taken to get those damn hereditary laws passed but Lissa had finally made it happen. I think what finally did it was less the Moroi population getting used to Lissa being queen, and more them just not caring anymore. I mean, after two years what was the point? Who cares about some stupid political thing for that long anyway?

Anyway, it took two years, but Jill was finally able to come out of hiding. Only, she didn't really want to. Turned out Jill liked Palm Springs and all the things that went along with it. But now that she was free of the constant rebel threat she'd faced these past years, she liked it even more. Mainly because now she was free to model.

Yeah, I know, Jill a model? I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. But just the other night we'd all flew into Palm Springs to see Jill in her first runway show. Lissa and I had stared up at Jill, parading down the runway in a couture gown that someone designed specifically for her, totally in awe. Even Dimitri, who knew exactly squat about fashion had had a good time. Christian had thought the show would've been cooler if they'd had explosions going off as Jill was walking down the runway, but still, he'd congratulated Jill once she stepped off the stage, beaming like a proud brother. Adrian was too. He didn't say much to Jill, but I got the feeling that an awful lot of praise was passing between their bond as she was on the runway.

We'd all stayed out late by human standards, celebrating and catching up with one another after so long. I'd barely seen Jill or Eddie since the start of all of this craziness with the rebels. And Angeline had certainly grown in the past two years. I also got to meet Angeline's boyfriend Trey. He used to be a Warrior of Light, but had apparently fallen for Angeline and given all of that up for good. He went to college with Sydney and Adrian now.

Sydney, even though she'd caused a big huff with the Alchemists about a year ago, was still working in Palm Springs, keeping the guys out of trouble and off the human radar. There had been this whole thing about her being connected to witches and it had been implied, by the Alchemists of course, that she may have been inappropriately involved with Adrian for a while, but I hadn't heard anything come of it besides her leaving the Alchemists. She told me once that it all happened after she discovered she was a witch, which I thought was pretty awesome, but the Alchemists seemed to frown on there people practicing witchcraft. Go figure. She'd moved on and graduated high school and was now attending the local college. Adrian was going there too, which impressed me. The Adrian I used to know would never have considered going back to school and making something of himself, but last night he'd left the after party early because he had a study group meeting this morning. Can you believe it? Adrian Ivashkov in a study group! Or more importantly, Adrian leaving a party so early he ended up giving Sydney Sage, goodie goodie of all goodie goodies, a ride home? It was mind blowing to me.

We'd all decided to meet for lunch today, at a place they all frequented called Marquee's. It was an ordinary little diner that Jill swore had the best guacamole tuna melts in Palm Springs. I wasn't about to try a guacamole tuna melt though so I'd just have to take her word for it.

"So Rose," Adrian asked, sliding into the booth next to Jill, leaving Sydney with the end seat. Eddie was seated across from Jill, next to me and Lissa. Dimitri, Christian, Angeline and Trey were all at a table next to the booth. "I heard from the big Russian that you finally accepted his proposal?" Adrian went on with a smirk.

I smiled, glad Adrian and I were finally at a point where we could be friends again without there being any awkwardness between us. "Is that what he's been telling people?" I threw a look at Dimitri, who was close enough to hear what we were saying at the booth. "I agreed to consider getting married," I told him. "_Consider_ it."

Lissa, who'd been reading her menu, rolled her eyes. "You two are practically married anyway. You might as well just make it official."

I raised my eyebrows. "What about you and the pyro?" I asked. "Now that the laws are out of the way, weren't you two considering it? Hmm?"

Christian glared at me from his seat at the table, but Lissa was the one who spoke. "We are considering it," she said with a smug smile. "And when we make a decision you will be the first one to know."

Jill sighed from her side of the booth. "Everyone's growing up, getting married, having kids. I feel like you're all leaving me behind."

"First of all," I told her. "If you could see yourself last night on that runway, you'd see how grown up and sophisticated you looked. I could never pull that look off. I'll be forty and still dressing like a teenager." That got a small smile out of her, so I went on. "And second of all, no one's having kids yet."

Jill's expression went blank for a split second before her cheeks pinked with color. "Oh, yeah," she said quickly. "But with everyone talking about getting married I just assumed it wouldn't be long..."

"Don't rush me into that," Lissa laughed, glancing over at Christian. He looked so startled by the thought of mini-Ozera's running around the palace, I almost laughed.

"Yes," he said dramatically. "No rushing into that at all."

I saw Sydney whisper something to Adrian and then get up, excusing herself to the restroom. We all went on laughing at the idea of Christian being a father, much to Christian's annoyance, but Jill kept glancing nervously over to Adrian. Was she really that upset about everyone leaving her behind? She couldn't be. It wasn't like we were literally leaving her. She was staying out here with Adrian and Eddie and everyone for two more years, until she finished at Amberwood, and then she could do whatever she wanted. If she chose to come pack to Court then we'd all be right there with her. I figured maybe it was just Jill being Jill and left it at that.

When the waitress came over to collect our order, I got a cheeseburger, much to Jill's disappointment. But Lissa, either because she's a masochist or because she's a good sister, went with the guacamole tuna melt suggestion. Adrian ordered a tuna melt too, but also ordered a cheeseburger.

"With extra fries," he told the waitress who was looking at him like _he_ was on the menu. "And mayo, on the side. _And_ an extra pickle." He gave her one of his standard sexy smirks and she grinned flirtatiously back at him.

Once she was gone I shook my head in his direction, but he ignored me. When Sydney came back a minute later he started talking to her about some teacher they both had at Carlton.

Jill and Lissa got a conversation going about Jill's modeling and all that entailed, including free clothes and accessories, which piqued my interest. Soon enough the waitress was placing our food in front of us. I noticed the disappointed look she threw Adrian's way when she saw him sitting next to Sydney and I wanted to tell her that was one girl she didn't have to worry about, but then I noticed the way Sydney was smiling at Adrian. Like he was the sun and the moon. Maybe the Alchemists hadn't been so far off in their assessment of my friend's relationship. And, I mean, they _were_ pretty cute together.

"You're the best," Sydney grinned up at him, bumping him with her shoulder when the waitress dropped her plate in front of her. It was, much to my surprise, the cheeseburger Adrian had ordered. It wouldn't have been so odd, except that I was pretty sure Sydney was one of those girls that only ever ate salad, and seeing a cheeseburger and a plate of extra fries in front of her was a little surreal. "I'm starving," Sydney said, dipping a fry in her side dish of extra mayo before popping it into her mouth.

"Well, you have been practicing with Jackie all morning," Adrian smiled at her. Jackie, I'd heard, was her magical mentor. "Did you want any orange juice or anything?" he asked.

"What I'd really like is a coffee," Sydney muttered, not quite under her breath. Adrian threw her an indecipherable look and she reluctantly said, "Water's fine."

After a short conversation about Sydney's magic and all the practice it took, I picked at a few of my fries and tried to listen to what Eddie and Jill were talking about but I kept getting distracted by Sydney. She'd been quite for awhile. Concentrating on eating part of her burger and most of the fries on her plate, she'd also eaten the extra pickle Adrian had ordered, along with the pickle he'd gotten with his tuna melt. And Adrian didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he offered her half of his sandwich, but she declined, saying she had more than enough of her own.

Finally, I'd had enough. "Are you okay?" I asked her, knowing my next words were going to sound rude, but needing to say them. "Because you're eating an awful lot and I'm starting to think you might have a tape worm."

Sydney looked up from her plate, startled, and put down the fry she had in her hand. Adrian blinked once and then began to laugh.

"I didn't mean..." I mumbled when I noticed everyone staring at me. "You look great," I told Sydney. "It's just that I think I've seen you eat all of twice since we met and this," I gestured to her plate, "seems out of character. I really didn't mean to come off—"

"I know what you meant," Sydney smiled, bumping Adrian with her elbow. He quieted his laughter after a moment. "It's okay, Rose. The tapeworm comment just killed my appetite, but it's okay." She grinned to show me it really was okay.

I smiled back a little sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I've just never seen you eat... almost anything before."

"Yeah, she's been working on eating like a person instead of a bird," Adrian laughed, smiling at her. She rolled her eyes, but as their smiles faded they seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation. Whatever it was, after a moment, they seemed to come to a decision.

Sydney turned to face me and took a deep breath. "We were going to wait until tonight to tell you guys this, but now seems like a good time." She looked between us—me, Lissa, Dimitri and Christian, at least—and finally looked back at me. "I'm pregnant," she said.

A smile spread across her face and I latched onto it as my head spun. "Pregnant?" I said almost unintelligably. I had just come to the conclusion they might be dating. How could she be pregnant? Maybe it wasn't Adrian's?

Only Adrian was nodding enthusiastically. Smiling, too. "Three months. It's due this August."

I think everyone at the table was just staring. Lissa, Dimitri, Christian and I at Sydney and Adrian, while Jill, Eddie, Angeline, Trey and Neil all just stared at us. I think they were waiting for our reactions, because they obviously already knew about this insane declaration.

"Congratulations," Dimitri said kindly, recovering first.

"Yeah," Christian said with a shake of his head. "Congrats. That's great."

"We know this is a little out of the blue for you guys," Sydney said apologetically. "It's just, we wanted to let you know about everything in person. It didn't seem right to do it over the phone. But then we never really had the chance... It's not an excuse for not at least mentioning it though."

Lissa cocked her head to the side. "Mentioning you were having a baby?" she asked, curiously but not unkindly. "Or that you and Adrian were together?"

"Both," Sydney said, grimacing a little. "And also that we're engaged." She lifted her left hand above the table, displaying the big fat diamond resting on her ring finger.

"Engaged!" My eyes popped open when I saw it and I stared at my two friends in disbelief. "You're engaged?" I asked stupidly.

Adrian nodded, his lips pressed together in a tight line. "Yeah. We got engaged a couple weeks before we found out about the baby. We had planned on flying out to tell you guys personally, but then Sydney started to feel sick, so we postponed. And then you guys were coming out here for Jill's show so we figured we'd just tell you everything all at once." He looked apologetic for maybe the first time since I'd met him. "I know it's a lot to take in, but Sydney and I want you guys to be a part of this with us. You're our family, all of you."

"You guys have been together for awhile? Since the Alchemists made those claims? The ones you denied? Or is this... is this a new thing?" I asked.

"We've been together two years," Sydney answered quietly in that serious way of hers.

"Two years," I repeated, trying to wrap my mind around it. So since before the Alchemists claims. Two of my best friends were dating, or engaged actually. And they were having a baby. In just a handful of months. And they hadn't bothered to tell me.

Adrian must have noticed my dismay in my aura or face or somewhere because he leaned forward across the table. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said. "At first it was because we didn't want any of you implicated in anything. We didn't know what the Alchemists were going to do and we didn't want anybody to get in trouble for our problems. But then..." He gave me a regretful look. "I should have told you. I should have told you that you were right that day, Rose. The day we broke up. You said that we didn't balance each other and that one day I'd find that with someone. I should have told you that I did find it, with Sydney. She's the one I was always meant to be with. You led me to her."

I took a breath, feeling tears stinging the backs of my eyes as he spoke. Adrian was rarely anything but sarcastic, but this little speech was pure. Straight from his heart. And the more I looked between his earnest expression and Sydney's smile, the more the tears threatened to spill. I didn't think I was an overly romantic person, but hearing him talk like that, about Sydney, made me all gushy inside.

"I should really thank you, Rose," Sydney said. "If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't have everything I have." Adrian wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me," she said sincerely.

"It's not me you should be thanking," I said, getting my emotions in check.

"Yeah," Lissa laughed. "It's whatever force of nature—or destiny—brought us all together in the first place."

After a few minutes spent getting the whole story—about thier relationship and how Adrian proposed—I finally asked, "And you're okay with the baby being a dhampir?"

I knew Adrian was, he wasn't the kind of Moroi that would care if his kid was a dhampir, but Sydney had been raised to hate our kind. I wanted to make sure she was okay with all of this.

Sydney just smiled. "Some of the best people I know are dhampirs," she said. "She'll be in good company."

"He'll be in good company," Adrian corrected, causing Sydney to elbow him.

"Why are you always just assuming things are boys?" she laughed and it lit up her whole face. I sort of understood what people meant when they said pregnant women glowed. Sydney was radiant, her face flushed with happiness.

Adrian grinned back at her, looking just as happy as she did. "Doesn't matter what it is, I guess. As long as it's healthy." His smile turned wicked. "And as long as you don't name it Hopper."

For some reason this caused everyone around the table to crack up. Lissa, Dimitri, Christian and I all just sort of looked at each other, completely confused. I guess it was some sort of inside joke.

"I'm going to be an aunt soon!" Jill gasped excitedly. "I've been dying to say that out loud all weekend!"

"You say it all the time," Angeline said with a roll of her eyes.

Trey laughed. "Literally, all the time."

"You told me just this morning," Eddie said under his breath. When Jill turned on him he smiled, trying to distract her. "So this guacamole thing is pretty good, huh?" he said, pointing at her plate.

Jill rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Laugh at me all you want. I'm still going to be someone's aunt in a few months!" She was so excited she bounced a little on the booth's bench, the motion causing Adrian and Sydney to bounce along with her.

"Oh, Jill stop," Sydney pleaded, looking a little queasy. "I ate way too much. The bouncing's making me nauseous."

"You're always nauseous," Adrian pointed out as Jill quit the bouncing. "Or hungry. Or having to pee."

"Or grouchy," Angeline added. "Always grouchy." Maybe she had grown a little in the past two years, but I guess her manners could still use some work.

"That's from the caffeine withdrawal," Adrian smirked. "She's been going nuts without her daily fix."

Adrian and the others continued to tease Sydney and she teased them all right back. I smiled to myself as I watched them. They might have started this mission as a fake family, but real bonds had been forged since. They were a really family now. And Adrian and Sydney were going to start their own family soon. I was happy for them. They looked happy. They looked the way I felt about Dimitri.

I looked over and caught my boyfriend staring at me. His smile always took my breath away. Made me feel like I was glowing the way Sydney was. Maybe it was time to consider his marriage proposal. I was still young, but an engagement didn't mean we had to get married right away. Plus I'd get a pretty ring out of the deal.

I smiled back at him. Yeah. I was definitely considering it.


	42. Crying

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This one is for anyone who is still interested in the Adrianna/Pink Blanket storyline. I don't know about you, but I'm a little Sydrian baby-d out (despite that AMAZING quote released recently!). But the only stories I had close to finished all turned out to be baby stories! So I figured I'd put this one up for you guys.**

**I have another one shot completed in the Nick/Secret storyline that I can put up if anyone wants to see more of that. And I also have two stories that are, thankfully, baby free. I'll hopefully finish those pretty soon. Anyway, I'm done talking now. Enjoy!**

A crying baby is never a good thing. But being alone with a crying baby is possibly the scariest thing ever. Especially when Sydney was still out at her coven meeting and wouldn't be back for awhile. It wasn't that I didn't love taking care of Adrianna, but I hadn't had as much practice as Sydney. This was the first time in months that Sydney had gone out for a few hours and I was already messing it all up.

"Oh, no, baby," I pleaded as Adrianna cried, rocking her back and forth. "Don't cry. Daddy's here. Daddy's got you."

My pleas didn't work, the crying kept up. So I decided to try a different approach.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, like maybe she'd actually answer me. "Let's get you a bottle." I brought her into the kitchen, bouncing her in my arms the entire time. She still cried—piercing sounds that went straight through my brain. I grabbed a pre-made bottle out of the fridge, heating it up a little on the stove. It was harder than I thought it would be, what with one hand still bouncing Adrianna.

How the hell did Sydney do this? Somehow she made this look easy when it was anything but.

Once the bottle was warm I tried giving Adrianna some, but she just kept crying. "Come on, sweetheart," I pleaded. "Just a little." She whacked the bottle away with a swipe of her tiny hand. I closed my eyes and sighed.

What could she possibly want? Then I realized what the problem must be. I put the bottle on the counter and slowly lifted Adrianna up in front of me. I inspected her diaper carefully. It didn't smell, but I knew that didn't necessarily mean anything.

"Is that what's wrong?" I asked. "Do you need me to..." I grimaced, "change your diaper?"

That was something I hadn't really done on my own yet. I'd assisted a few times, but all that meant was I distracted the kid while Sydney cleaned up the... _mess_. But it was just me here now so I had to figure it out. I took Adrianna in to the nursery and set her down on the changing table. I didn't want to do this. What was waiting for me in that little diaper? I'd seen the sort of things Sydney found in there. One time she'd screamed and I'd come running in just to see that she'd fumbled the diaper and gotten Adrianna's... _mess_ all over her. I really didn't want to do this.

With one eye peeked open, I _oh so carefully_ peeled back the diaper, holding my breath just in case. Then my other eye popped open. There was nothing there. Nothing. The diaper wasn't even wet! "Kid, what are you crying about?" I asked.

Her only response was another high pitched squeal. I quickly fastened the diaper back into place and picked her up. "Okay, okay, sweetheart. Daddy'll figure it out. _Since you're not being helpful at all_," I murmured under my breath. Just because the kid couldn't talk didn't mean she couldn't give me some sign for what she wanted. I'd seen Sydney coaxing reactions out of her. Sydney was so much better with her than I was.

Another lightbulb went off.

"Mommy?" I asked, picking Adrianna up so she was level with my eyes. "Is that it? Do you miss Mommy?" Adrianna kept crying, but I figured that must be the problem.

When Sydney'd left this afternoon Adrianna was napping. She'd woken up and I'd fed her and played with her, but then after a little while she'd started crying. I hadn't been able to get her to stop since. But now, _now_ I had a plan.

I brought Adrianna over to the couch and sat down with her in my lap. My laptop was on the table in front of us. I leaned over and found the videos I was looking for and hit play.

"Adrian, what are you doing?" Sydney's voice came through the speakers. An image of her wearing one of my paint splattered T-shirts filled the screen. She was lying on our bed, Adrianna next to her.

"I already missed out on the first month of her life, Sydney," I was saying from behind the camera. "I don't plan on missing anymore."

Adrianna's ear piercing cries had started to die down the second Sydney popped up on screen.

"You're not missing this," she said, rolling her eyes toward me.

"I know," I told her, giving the camera a quick shake. "And we're going to have this video so we can remember it forever." She shook her head, but I jumped into bed next to her and pointed the camera at the baby. Adrianna giggled on screen, which made her giggle in real life. I felt a wave of pride course through me. I'd handled my first baby crisis all on my own.

On screen, Sydney and I were playing with Adrianna. She was giggling and laughing, her little arms grabbing for Sydney, then me. In my lap Adrianna watched with a happy toothless smile on her face.

After a little while Adrianna started to doze off in my arms, she was dozing in the video as well. The camera jostled a little and then I could see Sydney, still in my paint splattered shirt—and only my paint splattered shirt—smiling at me. "What do you say we put her in her crib?" she smiled at me suggestively. It was so sexy.

The camera jumped around again. I leaned over and kissed her. "Maybe we could keep the camera going for a little while..." I teased, sort of.

Sydney's eyes bulged out of her head. "_Adrian_!"

"What?" I asked, all innocence. "It was just a suggestion. It could be fun."

Sydney took the camera from me while I picked Adrianna up. The lens followed me across the room to where the crib sat. I placed a sleeping Adrianna down and tucked her in. "We're not making that kind of video," she said firmly. Then she flipped the camera towards her. Her brown eyes and blonde hair filled the screen. "At least not on our daughter's baby videos," she whispered into the microphone, giving the camera a smirk.

I actually laughed out loud when I saw that, then I quickly glanced down to make sure I hadn't woken Adrianna. I hadn't watched these videos since we'd made them. On the video I was still tucking Adrianna in and hadn't heard her. But now that I'd seen this I was going to be sure to play it back when Sydney got home. You know, just as a reminder.

Sydney turned the camera back around just in time to catch me climbing back into bed with her. I took the camera from her hand and for a moment all I could see was white ceiling. Sydney made a happy sound off camera and I could hear us kissing. The bed groaned under us and then I could see us again. I had placed the camera on the bedside table and it was capturing us from the waist up. I was on top of her, kissing her neck, and her hands were tangled in my hair. It was the sexiest thing ever.

"Did you turn the camera off?" Sydney murmured while I kissed her.

"Yeah." I kissed my way back up to her lips.

She sighed into me, but turned her head away, toward the camera. "If that's true, then why is the red light blinking?" she asked with a small smile.

"I think that means it's off," I tried, guiding her lips back to mine. She pushed up on my shoulders until I looked at her. I watched as we shared a silent moment on camera, her telling me to shut the camera off and me giving in. Somehow even that was sexy. On camera I reached over to shut the camera off at the same time I leaned down to kiss her. The screen went black.

I sat there for a few minutes, remembering how the rest of that night went. The front door opened, pulling me away from my thoughts. Sydney made a face when she saw me and Adrianna on the couch, and tried to quietly shut the door behind her.

"It's okay," I whispered. "I think all the crying she did this afternoon tired her out. She'll probably be out for a while longer."

Still, Sydney crept quietly over to the couch. "Did she give you much trouble?" she asked, looking apologetic.

I smiled. "Nothing I couldn't handle. She just missed you is all." I gestured to the laptop. "I played her a video of you and she went right to sleep."

Sydney sat next to me and kissed my cheek. "Do you want me to put her to bed?" she asked, leaning in to take the sleeping baby from me.

"No, it's okay," I said, carefully standing. "I'll do it. You relax and when I come back you can tell me all about the coven meeting."

"Ugh," Sydney groaned, rolling her eyes and plopping back against the couch. "I'll tell you tomorrow. I'm too tired to even think about it right now."

"How tired's tired?" I asked.

She grinned at me over the back of the couch, her whole face lighting up. "Not _that_ tired."

I smiled back. "Good," I said quietly. "I've got a video for us to watch when I come back."

She looked a bit confused, but shrugged and slumped down into the cushions. I hurried into Adrianna's nursery and placed her gently in her crib, careful not to wake her. After a few more minutes spent tucking her in and making sure she was alright, I turned to leave the room.

On my way out I spotted the video camera near the changing table.

I grabbed it, just in case.


	43. Pancakes

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This chapter is for Chikasumi Kurotsuki because she demanded it. :) It's a sequel chapter to chapter 38 - Secret. Hope you guys enjoy! Then I promise, no more baby stories for awhile!**

If someone told me a week ago that I'd be waking up in a twin bed next to a screeching child I would have said, "What did I smoke the night before?" The screeching was bad enough as it was, I couldn't imagine what it'd be like if I was hungover.

It took me another minute to finally fight through the sleeping/dreaming period to get to the waking part. The part where I remembered that I was in Utah. With Sydney. And our son.

_Nick_.

I stretched and sat up a little, knocking into the kid and causing him to stop shouting. "Dad, dad, dad," I realized was what he'd been saying. And directly in my ear.

"Good morning," Nick said, sitting back on the bed and grinning up at me. I grinned back. It was hard not to, what with the big gap in his smile. He was missing an incisor—that I was pretty sure he hadn't been missing yesterday. "My tooth fell out," he said, confirming my suspicion. "Want to see it?"

He held out his hand, a tiny bloody tooth clutched in his small fingers. Part of me, the part that was still adjusting to this kid being _my_ kid, wanted to put as much distance between me and that bloody little tooth as possible. But the other part of me, the part that saw how the kid's eyes were the exact same shade of brown as Sydney's, that his grin—missing teeth and all—looked like an old photo of me my mom still kept framed in the living room, that part smiled and looked at the tooth with way more interest than it probably deserved.

"When did it fall out?" I asked, getting up off the bed and stretching again.

Nick jumped up, apparently having all the energy in the world at—I glanced at the Superman clock on his wall—six thirty in the morning. Ugh.

"When I got up to get a cereal bar," he said, still holding the tooth out towards me. "I bit it and my tooth hurt. There was a lot of blood."

"I bet," I muttered, unsure of what to do. This was my kid, but I didn't know anything about kids. No one I knew even had any. I was an only child. I had no pool of knowledge from which to pull any sort of child caring techniques. I mean, my God, I even sucked at small talk. This was so much easier last night when Sydney was standing there.

Sydney!

"Where's your mom?" I asked Nick, looking around like maybe she'd pop out from the closet or something.

"She's asleep," he said and jumped off the bed.

"Whoa, easy there," I said, steadying him as he landed on the hardwood floor. "You already lost one tooth today. Don't knock the rest out before lunch."

He grabbed my hand, ignoring me completely. "I'm hungry. Will you cook me pancakes?"

"Uh, yeah. Alright." I could do pancakes. I'd seen other people make them, at least.

Nick dragged me into the kitchen before finally letting go. He put his tooth down on the kitchen table—something I'm sure would bother Sydney if she was awake. You know, germs and all. He bounced on his heels as he told me where to find all the ingredients we'd need.

Sydney's kitchen was small, but incredibly well organized. I was pretty sure her cereal cabinet was arranged by nutritional value. It didn't take long for me to find everything. When all the ingredients were laid out a small hand pushed a bag of semisweet chocolate chips onto the counter next to everything.

"I can have pancakes with chocolate chips, I think," Nick said with a hopeful look in his eyes. "'Cause it's a special day, 'cause I lost my tooth. Mom doesn't let me have chocolate for breakfast on normal days."

"I can't imagine why not," I muttered, taking in his still bouncing form. Then I clapped my hands together and looked at the ingredients. "Alright, pancakes with chocolate chips. How hard can this be?"

"Hard," Nick answered seriously. "I tried to make them myself one time and Mom yelled at me for making a mess."

I smirked down at him. "Yeah, well, she'll probably end up yelling at both of us when she wakes up, so be prepared. Let's just try not to be too messy, alright? And wash your hands."

"Okay," Nick said and pulled over a kitchen chair to stand on.

I watched him flip on the faucet and pour some soap on his tiny hands with the oddest smile on my face. Because finally, for the first time since I found out about Nick, I actually felt kind of like a father.

A half hour later when Sydney walked out of the hall and into the kitchen I saw all of the normal emotions pass across her face. You know, the emotions someone would obviously have when waking up to see their ex-boyfriend and son trying to flip chocolate chip pancakes out of a frying pan and onto a plate. Grogginess transformed into recognition, then to something that resembled amusement, and then—when she saw the state of the kitchen—annoyance. I'll admit, it was pretty bad. We'd really tried not to make a mess, but I'd discovered soon after pulling out all of the ingredients that cooking wasn't quite as easy as cooking shows made it look.

I'd gotten pancake mix all over the counter and it had started to harden to the Formica. Then Nick offered to open the bag of chocolate chips and ended up getting chocolate all over the counter and floor and stove. All together I'd learned that my son was probably never going to be a chef and I shouldn't try to make breakfast anymore. At least, not the kind that involves anything other than milk and a spoon.

At least the amused look returned to Sydney's face quickly. "You're cleaning that," she said.

"Hey, he helped," I said pointing at Nick who had already grabbed his plate and was trying to hide out at the kitchen table.

Sydney laughed a little. "You're both cleaning it up. It'll be good for you. You know, bonding and all that. In the meantime, eat your pancakes," she said to Nick, then turned back to me. "I've got to talk to you."

I wiped my hands off on a paper towel and followed her to her bedroom. Once we were inside and she'd closed the door behind us I started to apologize.

"I'm sorry about the mess. I'll clean everything up. But he woke me up this morning saying he lost a tooth and that he wanted pancakes... I just didn't want to say no."

Sydney started to shake her head, but stopped abruptly. "He lost a tooth?"

I grinned. "Yeah. Now he's got this cute little gap," I said gesturing at my front teeth.

Sydney returned my smile. "That tooth's been lose for two weeks, it was bothering him. I wondered when it would fall out. But that's not why I wanted to talk." She straightened her shoulders and her smile grew even wider. "I talked to Stanton last night."

I studied her closely for a few seconds. "I take it from your expression it went well?"

"She knew," she said quietly. "The whole time she knew you were the father. She's going to help us disappear." Her smile finally dimmed, just a little, and she worried her lip, looking distracted. "But we have to leave as soon as possible. I have to pack. And we'll need someplace to stay..."

"You'll stay with me in my apartment. It's only one bedroom, but you and Nick can take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch. Or we could clear out my studio and stick a bed in there. It wouldn't be much of a room, but it'll work for a few days. Just until we get a house."

Sydney nodded and gave me a small smile. "Thank you. This isn't going to be easy, for any of us, but I love that you're willing to try."

I reached out and brushed her bangs behind her ear. "Of course I am. I want us to be a family."

She grinned all of a sudden. "How was it with him this morning? You looked like you were handling fatherhood pretty well."

I sighed and pulled her closer. "Once I stopped over-thinking everything it went a lot smoother. But it's hard. I don't know what to do or say. How to act. I've never been around kids before." I wrapped my arms around her waist, leaning in to touch my forehead to hers. "How did you get so good at this?"

"I'm not," she said. "I kept my son from his father for the first five years of his life." I pulled back, ready to argue with her—I didn't want her to feel guilty anymore—but she went on. "I lost him once," she said, changing the subject suddenly. "In a department store. He wandered off when I was talking to Carly. We freaked and looked everywhere. I found him playing in the fountain outside. Scared me half to death." She shook her head, her blonde hair obscuring her eyes. "My point is, no one is good at this. I'm certainly not. I think the only thing we can really do is love him. And I know you love him already." She looked up and smiled. "I saw how happy you looked in the kitchen just now. And last night."

"It's hard not to love him. Even when he wakes you up at six thirty in the morning pointing a bloody tooth at you." I smirked at her, my fingers reaching out and brushing the side of her arm. "Or when he interrupts some very important mommy and daddy time."

Sydney stepped so close to me she had to crane her neck to look me in the eye. "Yeah, even then," she said in a wistful voice. "But he's distracted right now. Probably will be for at least a few more minutes..."

She didn't finish her thought, but she didn't have to. I had her flat on the bed within seconds. She laughed and wrapped her arms around my neck, tugging me closer as my lips trailed down her chin and toward the neckline of her pajamas. There wasn't enough time to really do any of the things I wanted to do with her, but I'd never passed up the chance to kiss Sydney and I wasn't going to start now.

"Adrian," she breathed when I pulled down the strap of her top and kissed my way across her collarbone. She was as lost in the feeling of my lips on her as I was. Her hands came up into my hair, tugging me back to her mouth.

"_Mom_!"

"Are you kidding me?" I whined, dropping my head onto her chest. "It hasn't even been five minutes."

Sydney didn't get up right away. She laid there, underneath me, catching her breath. "He's not used to sharing me with anyone else," she said, trying to calm down. "It'll take a little while for him to get used to us... having alone time."

I grinned and rolled off of her. "I wish we were having alone time right now."

Sydney rolled her eyes and stood up, but I could see the blush creeping up her neck. "I bet you do," she said with a shake of her head and then glanced around the room. "I really have to get packed—"

"_Mom_!" Nick's voice carried down the hall again.

Sydney's eyes closed briefly. "And tell Nick we're moving. And..." She opened her eyes and her face crumpled. "And figure out how I'm going to tell my family."

"Shh." I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her. "We'll figure that out later. Right now just worry about what you want to take with you. I can help Nick get his stuff together, if you want. And call a moving company? Whatever you need."

She shook her head. "No movers. But there's a duffle bag in Nick's closet. Get as many of his clothes in there as possible, and the toys he really wants to bring. I want to be out of here as soon as possible."

I nodded. "So we're really doing this?" I couldn't keep the grin off my face. "We're disappearing together."

Sydney grinned back and leaned up to kiss me. It was quick, but the feel of her lips against mine never failed to send electric bolts down my spine. "As soon as you help me get your son packed up, yeah. We're disappearing together."

"And you're sure you're okay with this?" I asked slowly. "We'll talk to your family and make them understand, so don't worry about that. But... You want to be with me?"

"Adrian." Sydney sighed and let her hands trail over my shoulders and down my sides. She gripped my shirt and buried her face in my chest. My arms wrapped around her automatically, tugging her closer. "There's never been any place else I've wanted to be."

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "We're going to be alright," I said.

"Mom!" Nick's voice cut through the air. "The chocolate chips are smushed onto the floor!"

She smiled against me before pulling away, her golden eyes dancing. "Yeah. We're going to be fine. As long as _someone_ goes out there and helps our son clean the mess he made."

I grinned. "He's calling you."

Sydney pulled away, shaking her head. "Nope," she laughed. "You're the one who cooked with him. Your fault."

I heaved an exaggerated sigh and turned toward the bedroom door. "_Fine_. I'll clean up the kitchen and our son and pack all of his stuff. You go ahead. Relax. I'll do all the manly work."

She laughed. "Sure, I'll relax. Maybe I'll even take a bubble bath while I'm at it."

I opened the door, but turned back to her with a small smile. "You should. I'm sure we have time."

She just shook her head. "Too much to do. Maybe when we get to your apartment. Or wherever." A smile suddenly spread across her face, the kind of smile that made me think wicked things. "And maybe you could join me," she whispered.

"Mmm," was the most sensible response I could muster for a moment. Sydney didn't wait for me to recollect myself though, she was already pushing me out into the hall.

"Later," she said with a smirk and closed the door in my face.

I smiled. Yeah. Definitely later.


	44. Birthday

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**This one's just a silly little scene that I came up with when someone asked for something, well, silly! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Also, I've started a new Post-TIS story if anyone wants to read something a little longer. It's called ****_Through The Darkness_****, if you're interested :)**

"_Happy birthday, dear Sydney, happy birthday to you_!" Adrian sang wildly out of tune, but I didn't mind. This was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.

His entire apartment was decorated in twinkling Christmas lights and candles. He'd gotten me flowers and made a picnic style dinner that we ate on the floor of his living room. And to top it all off, he bought my favorite pie from Pies and Stuff.

When he finished singing he cut me a slice and handed it to me. I took a bite, savoring this moment as much as I was the taste of the pie.

"I can't believe you went through all of this trouble for me," I said, leaning forward to kiss him. He tasted like the wine he'd gotten us to have with dinner.

"You have no idea the kind of trouble I'd go through for you," he said, smiling. "This is nothing."

"Well, thank you," I said, taking another bite of pie. "This is amazing."

Adrian grinned and leapt to his feet. "Just wait until you see your present," he said, hurrying into the bedroom.

"Oh, Adrian," I called after him, getting to my feet myself. "You didn't have to get me anything. Dinner was more than enough."

He came back a minute later holding a small square box. He shrugged and handed it to me. "It's no big deal. Just something I saw that reminded me of you."

I turned to put the pie down on the coffee table so I could open the box, but my heel tangled in the blanket Adrian had laid out on the rug for us to sit on. I lurched forward, certain I was about to fall on my face, but Adrian's arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me up against him.

"Thank you," I said, pulling away and putting the plate down on the table like I'd originally intended, along with the box. "That would have hurt if you hadn't been there."

When Adrian didn't say anything right away I turned around to see my pie splattered all over his silk shirt. He looked down at the shirt, then back up at me.

"Oh," I said, my hand coming up to cover my mouth in shock. "Oh, I'm so—" I tried to hold in my laughter, I really did, but it escaped anyway. I pressed my knuckles to my lips and took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to..." Again I trailed off in a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

"You think it's funny?" Adrian said, his voice calm and controlled. Too controlled.

"No," I said, straightening up and biting back a smile. "It's not funny at all..." Giggles again! What was wrong with me?

"Well," Adrian said, glancing back at his shirt. "If it's that funny on me, it'll be a million times funnier on you." Then he was moving towards me.

"No!" I cried, holding an arm out in front of me and backing up quickly. I was still laughing, but very aware of the imminent danger ahead of me. This blouse was new. And expensive. "Adrian, don't. I'm sorry. It was an accident. Can't we just let it go?"

He still didn't stop coming towards me. My back hit the wall. I was trapped.

"Adrian, please?" I all but begged. My hands were blocking him, but he was standing right in front of me. "For me? Truce?" I looked up and tried to do the pout thing he was so good at, but I wasn't sure if I was doing it right. He looked unaffected.

"Truce?" he asked. "Are we at war or something?" He smiled angelically and threw his arms to the side. "I just wanted to give you a hug, Sage. You don't want a hug?"

I made a face and glanced at his soiled shirt. "Take off your shirt and you can hug me," I said.

Adrian's lips quirked up at the corners. "My dirty girl," he whispered. "Trying to get me naked. I bet that's why you threw the pie at me in the first place, isn't it? Because you wanted to see how good I look shirtless." He grinned and started unbuttoning his shirt, ignoring my eye roll entirely. "It was a smart move. Wish I'd thought of it," he said with a wistful glance at my chest.

I crossed my arms, but couldn't help but smile. That smile got a little bigger when Adrian finally shrugged out of his shirt. His skin was pale and smooth. Taut over his lean, muscular frame. His abs weren't in the same realm as a guardian like Eddie's were, but they were well defined and very nice to look at. I bit my lip and Adrian laughed.

"If you keep looking at me like I'm a piece of meat, Sydney, I'm going to start getting uncomfortable," he said, but I could hear his smile.

I looked up and grinned. "It _is_ my birthday..."

"And?" Adrian breathed, stepping closer. We were almost touching now. So close I knew he could feel my breath on his bare skin.

"And..." I blinked up at him, trying to remember what we'd been talking about. Oh, yeah, my birthday. "Don't I deserve something special?" I said distractedly. I couldn't quite keep my eyes on his face.

Adrian looked thoughtful for a moment and then, "I guess so. There isn't much out there more special than this," he said, gesturing to himself. I almost cracked a joke about that, but decided against it. "So this is our thing then? Our special birthday treats to each other?"

I looked up at him, confused. "What?"

He shrugged, smiling. "You know, the something special we'll give each other on birthdays, anniversaries, maybe on holidays."

"What is?" I asked, feeling even more confused.

"Seeing each other naked," Adrian said, as if it was obvious. He gestured to himself again.

I rolled my eyes. "You're not naked," I pointed out and then hurried on when I saw the glimmer in his green eyes. "And I don't want to see you naked. Not right now, anyway."

Adrian smirked, unbothered by my comment. "Half naked, then. I think it's a good present. It'll keep the passion alive. I hate to tell you though, Sage, but you didn't get me anything special for my last birthday."

"Your birthday's in August," I said. "I didn't know you then."

"That's why I'm willing to except a belated birthday gift," he smiled. His hand reached out and tugged on the hem of my blouse. "And, just so you know. I wouldn't mind seeing you naked. But half naked will work too, I guess."

I batted his hand away, but couldn't hide the smile on my face. "I don't give belated birthday presents," I said cooly. Adrian looked surprisingly disappointed, like he actually thought I might go along with this game. "But," I said slowly and watched him perk back up. "If I miss a birthday I always go overboard the next year."

Adrian grinned and stepped into me, his chest pressing up against mine. "Oh, yeah?"

I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, tugging him down so he could meet my lips. I kissed him once, softly. "Yeah," I whispered against his mouth.

I felt him smiling. "Can't wait until next August," he murmured. And then his hands encircled my waist, pulling me impossibly closer until we were lost in each other, all thoughts of pie and tiny gifts shaped like ring boxes forgotten for the moment.


	45. Closet

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**Okay, so this one... Well, I kind of don't know how I feel about it. It's basically just a Sydrian makeout session. Pure fluff with no point or plot whatsoever. Hope you enjoy it though :)**

"It's been kind of crazy around here," Jill smiled, looking exactly like a princess in a sparkling blue evening gown made especially for her by Lia DeStefano. Even though Jill was back at Court now she still modeled for Lia occasionally, but she always had the designer custom make her outfits for royal events like this one. And if Lia thought the number of evening gowns Jill ordered was unusual she never mentioned it.

Jill looked between me and Adrian. "How are you guys out in California? I miss you so much. I feel like half my family is missing."

Adrian grinned at her, his green eyes sparkling with brotherly love. It was obvious he'd missed her too. "You see us all the time," he said, tapping his head with a finger. "Besides, you've still got Castile at your beck and call."

Jill blushed but otherwise ignored his comment about Eddie. "The bond is not the same as getting to hang out and talk to you. And I only get an occasional glimpse now that I've got the hang of it. Mostly I just feel it when you're really happy and I tend to want to stay out of your head during those moments," she teased.

I tried my best not to blush at that. Even though Adrian and I had been together awhile it didn't mean I was comfortable with his bond with Jill. It was something I understood, something I dealt with, but it would be a lie to say any of us was truly comfortable with it. Things had been less awkward now that Jill could control it better, but that control would have been nice when Adrian and I first started dating. It wasn't like she could unsee... the things she'd already seen.

"To answer your question," I said, steering the conversation away from all thoughts of awkward moments, "we're doing fine. I've been working on a really big project for one of my professors. If it turns out well I might be able to snag an internship at his architectural firm this summer."

"I thought you guys were going to Italy this summer?" she asked, her eyebrows slanting in confusion as she stared at Adrian. I guess she'd heard about the trip through the bond or he'd told her about it over the phone.

Adrian took a sip of his drink before he responded. He'd been nursing the same glass all night. I was proud of him for that, especially since I knew how much being at a royal soirée tried his patience. There must have been a hundred people here, all jostling to be seen talking to the Queen or the Princess. He'd called them groupies when we'd walked into the party to see a group of them already surrounding Jill. It was a miracle she'd managed to break away from them long enough to talk to us.

"We're still going," Adrian finally said. "But it'll be a shorter trip than we originally planned. The internship is important to her so we're working around her schedule." He wrapped an arm around my waist and smiled down at me. "But I will be taking you back there for a real vacation when you have more time."

I smiled. "I told you we could wait and just go once. I don't want to have to rush."

"We're not going to rush," he told me. "We're just going to have a _less extensive_ trip. Besides, you're not the only one who could use a vacation." He turned back to Jill. "I've been working my butt off on a bunch of pieces for that show I told you about. I could use a little inspiration and where better to get inspired than the birthplace of the Renaissance?"

Jill started to reply, but Eddie walked over and interrupted before she had the chance.

"You're being summoned," he said with a roll of his eyes and gestured back to a group of Moroi royals, all old enough to be Jill's parents, yet they looked like they were waiting with bated breath for a chance to speak to her.

Jill sighed, but genuinely looked pleased to see her guardian/boyfriend. "I'm the princess," she said, indignantly. "Shouldn't I be the one summoning people?"

"You try telling them that," Eddie said with a laugh. Jill told us she'd see us later and then grudgingly turned toward the group of royals. Eddie gave us a quick smile, promising to get together once his shift ended, and then followed after her.

We mingled a little, but everyone I knew at the party was busy, either working or entertaining the guests. And Adrian was avoiding most of these people just so we wouldn't have to answer questions about our relationship. We were getting plenty of stares, even though at this point most everyone knew about the Ivashkov heir who ran away with "that Alchemist girl". We were old news in this gossip breeding ground, but people still asked questions. Very rude, intrusive, personal questions that we usually refused to dignify with a response.

Eventually we found ourselves wandering off a little, into one of the less occupied corners of the room. We talked about our trip to Rome and I rambled about all of the places I wanted to see. I knew Adrian appreciated art and architecture as much as I did, but sometimes it surprised me how intently he listened when I went into my lecture mode. Most people didn't. It was one of the things I loved most about him, he okay supportive when I got all brainy on him.

It wasn't long before he leaned into me, pressing his lips against my ear. "Have I told you how sexy you are when you get like this?" he whispered, his warm breath raising goosebumps across my skin.

Adrian pulled back before I could answer and raised his eyebrows a little, tilting his head to the side. The movement was slight, but I followed his motion, looking at the door he had gestured to. A plain wooden door with a plain silver knob was slightly open next to us. Adrian made the head gesture again, slightly more obvious this time. I rolled my eyes, but smiled a little. He took that as a yes and grabbed my hand, dragging me forward into the dark room without even a glance back to see if anyone was watching.

Room may have been too kind a term, I decided when I stepped through the door. It was really more of a closet. From the mop and bucket I bumped into on my way in, I was guessing it was a janitor's closet. Didn't seem to bother Adrian, of course. He closed the door behind us, leaving us alone in the small, dark space.

"This is cozy," he whispered, his voice thrumming around me in the tiny space. His warm breath danced across my skin inciting another riot of goosebumps to break out as he leaned closer. His hands closed around my hips and he backed me up into the shelf behind me.

It all happened so fast I couldn't be sure who started it, but suddenly we were kissing. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down, and he responded by squeezing me tightly to his chest. His hands ran up my back, sending shivers down my spine, before pulling a total 180. His palms glided down my back, flaring out over my hips, until they finally curled around my backside. He pulled me up around him and I wrapped my legs around his waist. My back slammed into the shelf, the metal pipes stabbing into me just enough to be uncomfortable, but I was too distracted to care. All that mattered was Adrian. His warmth, his scent, his taste—cloves and mint. The firmness of his body against mine. It was all I knew. It was all I ever wanted to know.

One of his hands skimmed down my thigh and then slowly traced its way back up. He had absolutely no respect for the beautiful dress I had purchased for the party. He roughly hiked it up until he had full access to my thighs. That also meant the skirt was practically pushed up around my waist, but all I knew was that now I could wrap my legs tighter around him, pull him flush against me. He wasted no time running his hands up and down my bare legs. My back hit the shelf again as we clung desperately to each other and this time something crashed to the ground.

My fingers tangled in Adrian's hair as I wildly pulled him closer. I couldn't get enough of him. His lips were so rough against me I knew they would leave marks every place they touched, but I didn't care. I needed him closer, needed to feel him kiss me harder. I whimpered as I felt his hands curl over my butt again. His fingers felt hot against me. Something else crashed against the floor, a bottle of what smelled like lemon floor cleaner spilled open. It didn't matter. All that mattered was the feel of Adrian moving against me. The taste of his lips.

I pulled away after a minute, desperately in need of oxygen, and leaned my head against his shoulder. His head rested on top of mine, his breathing just as labored. A blush crept over my cheeks, and I thanked god it was so dark in the closet. It wasn't the first time Adrian and I had gotten carried away while making out, but we had very nearly gone too far in a janitor's closet, in a very public place, while all of our friends were outside. Not to mention all of the royal gossipmongers who could have walked in on us.

"Wow, Sage. Maybe we need to go back out there. Unless, of course, doing it in a supply closet is on your bucket list," Adrian panted, mimicking my thoughts.

I laughed and kissed him—as softly as I possibly could in an attempt to avoid round two—and unhooked my legs from his waist. He helped me flatten my skirt back down over my knees and told me I looked no worse for the wear. I helped him straighten his tie. His jacket had somehow come off once we entered the room, but it was on the floor soaking in the lemon cleaner.

"Just leave it, Sage," Adrian said when I halfheartedly attempted to pick it up. "It's done for."

"We could have it dry cleaned," I suggested.

He kicked the jacket to the side near the metal racks. "Let's just get out of here, huh?" he asked, his fingers smoothing down my hair. I could only imagine what it looked like. "I'm ready to get back to our hotel room." I raised an eyebrow and he laughed. It was such a beautiful, rich sound I nearly kissed him again. "You have a dirty mind, you know that? I was going to say we could order room service and chill out for a while, just the two of us. I'd so rather spend the night like that than at this party."

"You don't want to stay for Jill?" I said, pulling the closet door open and walking back into the bright party.

"I'm sure she understands," he said, putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me forward through the crowd. When we reached the exit I noticed Jill smirking at us from across the room. A moment later Adrian's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and laughed.

"Actually, I think she'd prefer we leave," he said, holding the phone out for me to see.

_You nearly made me spit my drink all over Princess Natasha. You two are like rabbits!_

I snorted out a laugh before I could stop myself and sent a sheepish smile in Jill's direction. She grinned back and waved us away, much to the chagrin of the Moroi woman she was talking to.

I took Adrian's hand as we went outside to find a cab. "So, what sort of non-dirty things do you have in mind for the hotel?" I asked innocently.

He hailed a cab from the long line waiting outside and then looked over at me with a smirk. "There's a jacuzzi tub in the room, Sage. Did you really think we could just 'hang out' without it getting dirty?"

He opened the door for me and I leaned in close to whisper, "Well, I hoped not," before getting in and pulling him with me, his beautiful laugh ringing out through the backseat.


	46. Mural

**Richelle Mead owns the VA and Bloodlines series.**

**So, I'm currently writing a very sad one shot that I hope to finish soon. I meant for that to be the next posted chapter but then this popped into my head and it was happy and ****_not sad_**** so I went with it. Anyway, hope you enjoy mindless Sydrian fluff.**

**P.S. Chapter one of The Fiery Heart?! Gah! It was incredible!**

"Adrian?" I called, stepping over plastic sheeting and into the disaster area Lissa and Christian called the nursery. I had to admit, I could see the potential the bare room held. It was a huge L shape with a private bath attached. But, the half painted walls, the lack of furniture and, not to mention, the plastic sheets protecting the floor from paint and scratches, really weren't doing the big space any favors. But with Lissa only six months pregnant, I supposed there was plenty of time to finish the baby's room.

"Over here, Sage!" Adrian called from around the corner. I hurried over, careful to avoid any snags in the plastic covering, what looked to be, a beautiful hardwood floor. I found him sitting on the floor, paint brush in hand. His gray t-shirt had purple paint smeared across the front, but other than that he looked perfectly put together. "Hey," he smiled and stood up to greet me.

He gave me a kiss on the cheek and grabbed the package I'd been carrying. He popped open the styrofoam container and grinned, his green eyes lighting up in delight. "Cheese fries! Have I told you how much I love you yet today?"

I laughed. "I don't remember," I teased. "Tell me again."

His grin turned wicked and he placed the container of fries on a bucket of paint next to him. My heart began to race as he stepped closer, his hands tracing a path down my arms to my waist, leaving goosebumps in their wake. "I love you," he whispered, lowering his lips to my neck.

A low moan escaped my lips while his did a number on my self control. As I pulled his mouth up to meet mine, I wanted nothing more than to roll around with him on the paint splattered plastic, but that would be inappropriate for so many reasons.

Adrian was, surprisingly, the one who had the control to pull away. He plopped down onto the ground, after a lingering moment in which I think he was contemplating his own roll-around-on-the-plastic idea, and started to eat his fries.

While he ate I took a step back to admire his work. Lissa had approached Adrian about a month ago, asking if he'd like to paint a mural in the nursery they were having designed. Adrian, who was currently living with me in California as I finished up my last year in college, jumped at the chance, but on the condition that I come with him. I'd agreed, of course. It wasn't hard to get my teachers to agree to email me my assignments. They all loved me, and Adrian had wooed them as well on the many occasions he would pick me up from class. I was pretty sure all of my female professors had a crush on him.

Lissa had gotten us a great apartment to stay in while we were at Court. It was gorgeous, and even though I didn't appreciate the rude stares and whispers of "private feeder" every time I entered the building, I did love living with him. It was something we hadn't done yet, even though we'd been together for a while. He'd asked me several times to move in, but I liked having my own space. Now, after living with him for the last couple of weeks, I was starting to see the appeal of sharing a place.

"So what do you think?" Adrian asked, drawing me out of my thoughts and back to the painting in front of me. I turned my head to the side, examining the painting more closely.

Adrian had a certain style and you could see it in everything he did, including the mural. On the wall I could see a number of fantastic creatures that existed no where in this reality. A large green cat, part lion, part leopard, bounded across a valley filled with building blocks and teddy bears, towards a purple giraffe sipping coffee at a tiny cafe. It was odd, but uniquely beautiful in its own way. I probably wouldn't have chosen it for my child's nursery, but Christian thought it would be cool if the walls told some sort of story, like a giant storybook. What the story behind this picture was, though, I had no idea.

"It's good," I said honestly. "But I don't get it."

Adrian didn't look offended at all by my comment. Instead he just stood up, cheese fries forgotten for the moment, and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. He turned me towards the painting and lowered his head to my shoulder.

"You see," he said, and I could hear the grin in his voice. "The green cat can't wait to see the giraffe. She's his best friend. So he's running as fast as he can to get to her before she has to go back to her cage at the zoo."

"The zoo?" I asked, scanning the painting for anything that resembled a zoo.

"I didn't paint it yet," Adrian said, reading my thoughts. "It's gonna be on that wall over there." Without ever letting me go, he turned me in the direction of another wall and pointed.

"So why is the giraffe so special?" I asked, turning us back around to look at the mural.

"Well, she's purple," he said slowly, as if that was reason enough. "With golden spots. He's always thought she was beautiful, but he likes other things about her, too. Like her addiction to coffee," he laughed and pointed at the mug in the giraffe's hoof. "And he loves how smart she is, and how loyal and dedicated she is. She's the only one in the zoo who doesn't think he's weird because he's green."

I stared at the painting, knowing exactly who the purple giraffe and green cat represented, but not being able to speak a word. I was too afraid if I opened my mouth I might cry. Adrian had painted us into his children's story. "Was it really necessary to have the giraffe drinking coffee? I cut back to one cup a day. That's a normal amount," I grumbled once I'd gotten my composure.

"Very necessary, because it's a fantasy. Giraffe Sydney can have as many cups as she wants, which I thought you'd appreciate," he smiled and kissed me quickly. Without my authority my brain started conjuring images of me and Adrian on the floor again. "Come here," he said, taking my hand and pulling me closer to the painting of the giraffe. Leaning down, he grabbed a thin paintbrush and handed it to me.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, gripping it between my thumb and forefinger like it was diseased or something.

Adrian laughed and pushed me closer to the wall. "Paint," he said simply. Like anything about painting was simple. I gave him a look that said as much. "Oh, come on," he said. "Just paint something."

"No," I said firmly. "This isn't one of your paintings or a pirate on a t-shirt. You're being paid to paint this room. I'm not going to mess it up."

"You can't mess it up, Sage," he claimed. "Here, just help me finish the giraffe's spots while I eat, then I'll take over again, alright? I've gotta get through this wall today or I'll fall behind schedule."

I sighed and glanced back at the wall. "Just the circles?" I asked.

"Just the circles," he reassured me, then dropped to the ground and popped a fry in his mouth. "Take your time and you'll be fine. There's no way to mess up a circle."

I deeply doubted that was true, but dipped my brush in the gold paint anyway.

Turned out he wasn't that far off. I'd only needed his help fixing one circle. The simple motion of painting was sort of a stress reliever, actually. By the time Adrian finished his lunch I'd already grown to like it, so I kept painting the circles while he finished up some minor details on other parts of wall.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Adrian said with a laugh as he took my paintbrush from me and went to clean it off in the bathroom sink.

"I guess not," I smiled and took a step back to look at our work. The mural was finished, on this wall at least. "Hey, you never told me how the story ends," I called out, suddenly curious.

Adrian came out of the bathroom with the newly cleaned brushes and set them down before taking my hand. "Well, I told you the giraffe has to go back to the zoo. So, that'll be over here," he pointed at a blank wall and I tried to see it the way he did, full of color and spirit. "Then, one day the zookeepers decide that a giraffe shouldn't be friends with a green cat, so they build a bigger wall around the zoo to keep the cat out." He wrapped his arms around me again and pulled me to another section of wall. "But the cat and the giraffe like each other too much to care what the zookeepers think is right, so they run away together."

"What about this wall?" I asked, gesturing to the only wall he hadn't told me his plans for. "What goes here?"

He let go of me and shrugged. "I was thinking about having the cat build a nature preserve and ask the giraffe to live there with him, but I'm not sure."

I studied the blank space, picturing it. "It's a good ending."

"I'm just not sure the giraffe would say yes," he said behind me.

"Why not?" I said turning around to face him.

"Because she hasn't told me her answer yet," he whispered, handing me a small square red box.

Mouth hanging open, I looked dumbly down at the box. It was soft, crushed velvet, and felt like it weighed next to nothing, but nothing could be further from the truth. This box weighed something alright. It was full of possibilities and would forever change my life, both our lives. So slowly I lifted the lid and if my mouth could have fallen further open it would have.

A shiny silver key sat gingerly atop the red cushion. My silver key, to be precise. The one I was certain had been on my key ring when I'd come to drop off Adrian's lunch. "How...?" I asked with a shake of my head.

Adrian waved me off. "I'm really good with my hands," he smirked. "I know it's the key for my apartment you already had, but it was more for effect than anything else. What do you say? You want to move in with me when we get back home?"

I didn't say anything at first. My heart was still racing from when he'd handed me the ring box and I couldn't tell if I was relieved or angry that the only thing inside was my key to his apartment. Adrian, mistaking my silence, took a step closer.

"It's okay if the answer's still no, Sage," he said softly, taking my face in between his palms. "I just thought that since we're living together right now you might have changed your—"

"No, it's not that." I shook my head and his hands dropped to his sides. "It's just that..." Exasperated, with myself and him, I threw my hands up in the air. "I thought you were proposing, you jerk."

My face flushed and I looked down, unsure of how I expected Adrian to respond. I saw his legs step closer and watched him take my left hand in his, before his other hand came up under my chin, tilting my face so he could see me.

"How do you know I'm not?" He smiled and his lovely green eyes twinkled mischievously.

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe because there was no ring in the—" I broke off suddenly when I felt something cold slip onto my ring finger. I glanced down in time to see Adrian finish slipping a beautiful golden ring on the hand he held. No ridiculously sized diamonds, like I'd half expected, no flourishes or embellishments.

"Can I tell you a secret?" he asked, leaning closer. "I said I wasn't sure how the story ended," he gestured back to the blank wall, "but I lied. I'm pretty sure the giraffe says yes."

I laughed and reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Oh yeah. She says yes, alright."

And then we were in our own fantasy world, blank walls and cats and giraffes disappearing as our lips became the center of the universe.


End file.
